WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)

Description

In this WSB newsfilm clip from May 13, 1963 United States Attorney General Robert Kennedy reports on the situation in Birmingham, Alabama, and expresses his hope that the people of Birmingham will continue to work towards a solution to racial conflict. Kennedy, apparently answering a question from one of the reporters surrounding him, reports that "the situation [in Birmingham] is quiet at the present time." He echoes the hopes of President John F. Kennedy that "people of good will" in Birmingham will "get this very serious and difficult situation resolved." After mass civil rights demonstrations led by the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in April and May 1963, black and white negotiators reached an accord on May 10. On May 11, the A.G. Gaston Motel and the home of Dr. Martin Luther King's brother, Reverend A. D. King, were both bombed. King and other SCLC leaders frequented the Gaston Motel when in Birmingham; businessman A. G. Gaston often provided them with complimentary office space. The bombings sparked riots by African Americans in a twenty-eight-block section of Birmingham. Local police officers and state troopers responding to the crisis beat rioters and bystanders, injuring over fifty people. In response to the violence, President Kennedy called for nonviolence, readied troops for riot control, and federalized the Alabama National Guard.Title supplied by cataloger.

Record Contributed By

Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia