Documentaries, Civil rights, Racial Justice, United States, History, Children, Education 

Tells the story of how the young people of Birmingham braved arrest, fire hoses, and police dogs in 1963 and brought segregation to its knees. In the spring of 1963, Birmingham, Alabama, was the “do-or-die” battleground for the Civil Rights Movement. Heavy intimidation by Birmingham authorities left the Movement floundering. Using word-of-mouth under a veil of secrecy, more than 4,000 African American schoolchildren organized to desert classrooms at exactly 11 a.m. on “D-Day,” May 2, 1963, touching off a week of mass demonstrations and rioting that shocked the nation. Police tried to stop them. Yet, the children prevailed.

“The Children’s March” kit includes a 40-minute teachers’ edition of the Academy Award-winning documentary film with closed-captioning; and a teacher’s guide with lessons for social studies, language arts, and music classrooms.

Teachers can order this kit for free.

Produced by Teaching Tolerance in association with HBO.