Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Birmingham, Alabama 1963

This tape was recorded in Birmingham, Alabama, on Mothers Day, May 12, 1963. The previous night, the parsonage of A. D. King was bombed, as was the Gaston Motel, where King's brother, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and a leader of the Birmingham movement, had been staying. Extensive rioting followed.

At a gathering held at the New Pilgrim Baptist Church, Reverend Andrew Young from SCLC introduces a delegation from the National Council of Negro Women visiting for Mothers Day. Mrs. A. G. Gaston introduces Dorothy Height of the National Board of the YWCA, who discusses the contributions of women to the movement. Speeches by Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. follow.

In this tape of Dr. King, he emphasizes the importance of nonviolence as a response to the violent actions of the previous day and talks of the achievements of the nonviolent sit-in movement that resulted in desegregation action in 210 southern cities.  

The Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker of the SCLC stands atop a car while speaking to the crowd gathered to protest recent bombing attacks, May 12, 1963.

(AP Photo)