To: President Donald Trump, The Alabama State House, The Alabama State Senate, Governor Kay Ivey, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
50th Anniversary of Selma, AL Student Civil Rights Marches
Join the dedication of the Alabama Historical Commission Plaque honoring the Civil Rights demonstrations by R. B. Hudson High School students in 1963-65.
It began in 1963 with the students in a Selma, AL school: R. B. Hudson High school, where 13- to 18-year-olds took to the streets against the counsel of parents, elders and teachers because of the dangers involved, both to the students and to the entire black community.
Only after the students braved the threats, arrests and abuse by the white Citizens Council did the black adults also begin to march; only after these 5,000 young idealists first put their bodies on the line was the invitation extended to Dr. Martin Luther King to add his profound leadership.
On Feb. 27, 2014, all races in Alabama will commemorate what these students did by the dedication of a state-sponsored plaque honoring the pivotal actions of R. B. Hudson High School students in 1963-65. Led by retired Fire Chief Henry E. Allen, R. B. Hudson Alumni successfully moved to place their school on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, thereby reaping full recognition of their historic achievement.
The Plaque reads in part:
“From 1963 to 1965, students from R. B. Hudson High School and surrounding county schools played a vital role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These students actively participated in Civil Rights marches and demonstrations that led to the advancement and passage of Civil Rights legislation.”
It began in 1963 with the students in a Selma, AL school: R. B. Hudson High school, where 13- to 18-year-olds took to the streets against the counsel of parents, elders and teachers because of the dangers involved, both to the students and to the entire black community.
Only after the students braved the threats, arrests and abuse by the white Citizens Council did the black adults also begin to march; only after these 5,000 young idealists first put their bodies on the line was the invitation extended to Dr. Martin Luther King to add his profound leadership.
On Feb. 27, 2014, all races in Alabama will commemorate what these students did by the dedication of a state-sponsored plaque honoring the pivotal actions of R. B. Hudson High School students in 1963-65. Led by retired Fire Chief Henry E. Allen, R. B. Hudson Alumni successfully moved to place their school on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, thereby reaping full recognition of their historic achievement.
The Plaque reads in part:
“From 1963 to 1965, students from R. B. Hudson High School and surrounding county schools played a vital role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These students actively participated in Civil Rights marches and demonstrations that led to the advancement and passage of Civil Rights legislation.”
Why is this important?
In 50 years the student leaders and participating students that led the way in the Civil Rights Movement of 1963-65 have gone unrecognized. This commemorative event will be the first acknowledgment of the pivotal role played by these 1,000 students in bringing the full reality of freedom to all Americans.