News Release

Mighty Times; The Children's March

Date: February 14, 2007

Contact: Dennis Vasquez, [phone]
Contact: Cheryl Brown Henderson, [phone]

Topeka, KS-The National Park Service and the Brown Foundation will host the Academy Award-winning documentary film, Mighty Times: The Children's March, produced by the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama. The discussion following the documentary will be led by Children's March organizers, Dr. Shelley Stewart and Rev. James Bevel.

This award-winning documentary film is the story of how in 1963, children in Birmingham, Alabama, discovered their power, took a stand for social justice and began marching for freedom. African-American children living in Birmingham wanted to express their unwillingness to continue living under the daily oppression of Jim Crow segregation. Dr. Shelley Stewart, who at the time was a popular local disc jockey, and Rev. James Bevel, a civil rights activist, were among those who organized what has become known as the Children's March. The worst confrontation during the march took place in Kelly Ingram Park when the children faced the fire hoses and police dogs of Bull Conner, Commissioner of Public Safety in Birmingham. Hundreds of children of all ages were arrested and placed in makeshift cells for days. Although fearful, their parents were proud that the youngest among us felt powerful enough to make a difference.

The documentary will be shown on Sunday, February 25, 2007, at 3:00 PM at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. For more information or to RSVP by February 23, contact the Brown Foundation by phone at [phone] or by email by clicking here. The event is free and open to the public.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with no fee, excluding Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The site is located at 1515 SE Monroe Street, Topeka, Kansas, 66612.