Comments on: Unseen. Unforgotten.

Unseen. Unforgotten.

kirkaracha — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 11:24:13 -0800

Unseen. Unforgotten. The Birmingham News recently discovered previously-unpublished photos of the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Alabama, during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The site includes audio interviews with some of the photographers and a PDF of how the photos appeared in the newspaper.

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 11:44:35 -0800

This looks great, kirkaracha - I can't wait to dig in. But I think they may be getting slammed. I was able to get on the site, but the exhibits are very sluggish - at least for me. I will come back later, but wanted to say thanks.

By: handshake

handshake — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 12:14:09 -0800

Thanks for posting this. I'm making a power point presentation on the Civil Rights movement for one of my education classes and I can really use these photos and audio clips.

By: bardic

bardic — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 12:52:51 -0800

Neat post.

By: raedyn

raedyn — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 13:04:59 -0800

It's breathtaking to realize that this was so recent.

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 13:18:21 -0800

Good post. It's a bit distressing to see more comments in the double thread.

By: LarryC

LarryC — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 13:39:45 -0800

Superb post!

By: Hesychia

Hesychia — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 13:48:19 -0800

very nice. thanks for the post. i second what raedyn said.

By: furtive

furtive — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 14:00:03 -0800

Not to derail, but anyone notice a similarity between the guy in this pic and this guy?

By: spock

spock — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 14:14:24 -0800

This is major major stuff. Thanks! Looking at these pictures I feel a mix of emotions: hatred at the stupidity of racism and bigotry; anger at the injustice of it all - especially the role that "law enforcement" played; admiration for those who fought the good fight in the face of persecution, prosecution, harassment, beatings, terrorism and even death; frustration that the vast majority today are so apathetic or demoralized that they are incapable of doing even 1% of what those fighting for civil rights accomplished (peacefully) less than a half-century ago.

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 14:17:36 -0800

Great find. Aside from the obvious emotions I am always amazed by how damn good looking and stylish everyone was back then.

By: eisbaer

eisbaer — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 15:08:49 -0800

srboisvert, it's the black and white photography. With black and white photography, horn rimmed glasses, and a name like Autherine you can't help but be fierce. Seriously though, this is was amazing to look at. It really makes me value the rights I have when I see what people went through to get them for me. I can only be eternally grateful and do my best to guard them vigilantly. It also reminds me of how paltry the Black History Month lessons we did in K-12 were. There weren't gritty photos like these and an emphasis on the role that all of these individuals played. It's more of a memorization of the Black pantheon (sojourner truth, harriet tubman, benjamin banneker, dr. king) I would like to see the role of individual responsibility and action in fighting for rights played up more with those people used as models for the potential impact. Seeing things like this is empowering. It makes me not afraid to speak up when I see that these people did it in far more adverse circumstances.

By: sellout

sellout — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 16:15:54 -0800

Terrific post.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 18:02:29 -0800

This was especially topical for me because I'm reading Taylor Branch's excellent Parting the Waters, and I'm right in the middle of the Birmingham stuff. The courage and determination they had is amazing. The other day I was reading the book on the BART train, and a black guy sat next to me. I was really struck by the realization that sitting in the same part of the car would have been illegal within my lifetime. We've made a lot of progress in some ways, but it's discouraging when churches are being burned in Alabama.