Thousands of Black schoolchildren march in Birmingham to protest segregation; hundreds are arrested as the campaign deliberately fills the jails.
At a Glance
- Date
- 2 May 1963
- Location
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Key people
- Martin Luther King Jr., James Bevel
- Category
- Civil Rights Movement
- Source
- Contemporary press (1963) · Stanford King Institute
What It Meant Then
Children put their bodies on the line when adult protesters faced losing their jobs.
What It Means Now
The Crusade forced Birmingham and the nation to confront the cruelty of segregation.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “The Birmingham Children's Crusade Begins.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-birmingham-childrens-crusade-begins/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). The Birmingham Children's Crusade Begins. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-birmingham-childrens-crusade-begins/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “The Birmingham Children's Crusade Begins.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-birmingham-childrens-crusade-begins/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.