THE CHILDREN'S MARCH (1963)

This film is inspiring for children and shows them they have the power to change the world.

"The Children's March" tells the story of how the young people of Birmingham, Alabama, braved fire hoses and police dogs in 1963 and brought segregation to its knees. Their courage complements discussions about the ability of today's young people to work for positive social change.

MATERIAL:

• THE FILM: Mighty Times: The Children's March (1963) (Find it in this blog under the label: NON-VIOLENT FIGHT or FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES)
• THE QUESTIONNAIRE BELOW (See Teacher's Keys if necessary)
• In other classes, they can also watch and talk about similar cases of non-violent figh at present, such as JANADESH MARCH TO DELHI in 2007; THE POPULAR NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT'S MARCH (Movimiento Nacional de los Chicos del Pueblo) in 2007 in Argentina;...

Questions

The following questions are in the same order as the video. Students can fill them out as they watch the video or use them as a discussion guide following the film. Make as many connections as possible to students' local communities and lives.

1. What was Birmingham’s nickname and why?
2. What does it mean to “meet violence with non-violence”? What would it look like?
3. Why didn't parents or adults want to protest? What would happen to them if they protested?
4. Why do you think that Dr. King said “no,” at first, to kids going to jail?
5. What did the children’s teacher, Mrs. Goree, do to help them go to the march?
6. Gwen Webb says, “A lot of people thought the kids were going to get hurt, but the reality was that we were born black in Alabama and we were going to get hurt if we didn’t do something.” What did she mean by this?
7. The police thought the kids would be frightened to be arrested. Instead, they were happy and singing. Why do you think the kids were full of joy to be arrested?
8. There were 10 kids still standing after everyone else had been knocked down or dispersed by the fire hoses. What were they singing?
9. What were the conditions in the jails? Were they clean? What did the children get to eat?
10. How long were they kept in jail?
11. How old was the youngest child who got arrested and put in jail?
12. The white detective said that in the end there “was no way to hold a lid on this because the fear was gone.” What is significant about people losing fear?

Answers

1. What was Birmingham’s nickname and why? Birmingham's nickname was "Bombingham" because there had been about 60 unsolved bombings with no one arrested for them.
2. Why couldn’t the parents or adults protest? What would happen to them if they protested? If the adult parents were seen on the picket lines they could lose their jobs, have their cars repossessed and their homes burnt down.
3. What does it mean to “meet violence with non-violence”? What would it look like? Meeting violence with non-violence is not being passive but being actively engaged with peace and non-violent behaviors. These might mean allowing perpetrators to be violent and then not respond so that their acts of violence indict and incriminate them.
4. What did the children’s teacher, Mrs. Goree, do to help them go to the march? Mrs. Goree turned her back so that the students could leave without her seeing them. This was her way to be an ally with the kids and yet not lose her job.
5. Why do you think that Dr. King said “no,” at first, to kids going to jail? Dr. King was afraid for the kids' safety.
6. Gwen Webb says, “A lot of people thought the kids were going to get hurt, but the reality was that we were born black in Alabama and we were going to get hurt if we didn’t do something.” What did she mean by this? Gwen Webb meant that Blacks were going to be hurt by the systemic racism that permeated every aspect of their lives.
7. The police thought the kids would be frightened to be arrested. Instead, they were happy and singing. Why do you think the kids were full of joy to be arrested? The kids were empowered to be a part of the solution to racism. They were glad to be arrested because it was their strategy to fill the jails so that national attention would be focused on the movement in Birmingham. 
8. There were 10 kids still standing after everyone else had been knocked down or dispersed by the fire hoses. What were they singing? They were singing, "Freedom!"
9. What were the conditions in the jails? Were they clean? What did the children get to eat? The jails were crowded and dirty. Food was minimal. The police kept some children at the fairgrounds in animal pens.
10. How long were they kept in jail? Some were kept in jail up to seven days.
11. How old was the youngest child who got arrested and put in jail? He was 4 years old and said he was in jail for "teedom."
12. Open Answeer: discussion