What was the name of the 1963 Birmingham jail protest led by Black schoolchildren and teenagers?

The Children’s Crusade was the 1963 Birmingham jail protest led by Black schoolchildren and teenagers.

The action formed part of the Birmingham Campaign, which challenged segregation and racial discrimination in Birmingham, Alabama. Beginning on May 2, 1963, young people marched from the city’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and accepted arrest in large numbers.

Photographs and television footage showed children being jailed and confronted by police dogs and high-pressure fire hoses. The images generated national and international outrage, increasing pressure on Birmingham officials and the federal government.

The Children’s Crusade is not the same thing as the entire Birmingham Campaign. It was a major youth-led phase within that broader movement. The campaign helped produce agreements to desegregate downtown facilities and contributed to momentum for federal civil rights legislation.