BY DEREK BRACEY
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Part of the schedule of the regional socialist educational conference taking place here December 20 -21 is a visit to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI). It's a part of the weekend that no one should miss.

The BCRI is one of a few museums built to honor a major historic battle for human rights. The things that separate it from other museums devoted to the fight for Black rights in the United States, most notably the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, are a result of what occurred in this city.

The Battle of Birmingham in the spring of 1963 ushered in a new stage in the civil rights movement. Tens of thousands of industrial workers entered the fray with mass actions, direct confrontations, and - under intense assault by racists who were supported by city and state governments -armed self defense.

Birmingham was different than most other cities and towns where civil rights fights had taken place. A large center of heavy industry in the mostly rural southern United States, the city in the 1960s had the highest ratio of factory workers in the nation, with strong unions.

There are many images at the Civil Rights Institute of coal and iron ore mines that existed within the current city limits and the huge plants throughout the area. Most of the workers in these industries were Black, including more than 60 percent of the workforce in the coal mines and steel mills.

The museum opens with vivid photos and displays portraying life under Jim Crow -the system of legal segregation and racial discrimination that was buried by the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s.

In the mid-1950s and early 1960s, civil rights fighters led by Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth confronted a brutal, fierce racist defense of Jim Crow. The racists bombed so many of the homes and churches where civil rights leaders organized that the city gained the nickname "Bombingham." Leading civil rights organizations were banned in Alabama. In Birmingham, all demonstrations were illegal. Among the displays is a fire- bombed burned-out bus that was used in the Freedom Rides.

In early April 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. and other national civil rights leaders agreed to support a stepped-up campaign in the city. What followed was a massive response by the Black working class.

In May thousands of young people, many under 10 years old, confronted the racists. When the police tried to arrest all the protesters, the young fighters decided to overwhelm them. After jailing 2,400 people, the city government was met with a march of 3,000 youth. Unable to arrest more, the racists unleashed police dogs and high-pressure water hoses. Mass actions continued throughout the summer.

The events in Birmingham were followed by millions throughout the world. The BCRI has clippings from the international press coverage. It also features timelines for every year from 1954 to 1965 that make the connection between world events and the battle unfolding here. Above the line are major world political and social events, below are events in Alabama, especially Birmingham, so they can be compared.

The Battle of Birmingham inspired mass actions in numerous other cities in all parts of the country. These struggles shattered the racists' defense of Jim Crow and forced the federal government to pass civil rights laws.

A class at the conference will discuss the Battle of Birmingham and its political significance for revolutionaries today.  
 
 
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