About
Kids in Birmingham 1963 is a nonprofit organization focused on two continuing imperatives that emerged from our nation’s 1960s struggle toward Civil Rights: Education and Reconciliation.
The events in Birmingham, Alabama, 1963, sparked a turning point in America’s modern civil rights movement. In 2013, during the 50th anniversary of the “Year of Birmingham,” Kids in Birmingham 1963, known as KIDS, was created as a place to capture and preserve the firsthand accounts of young people who lived in and around Birmingham during this era of resistance and resilience in the city.
Using text and images, audio and video, KIDS offers both a place and technologies to support the telling of personal recollections which might otherwise be forgotten by history. We use multiple methods to connect journalists, writers, educators, and students to these historical records, and to the people who shared them. If you lived in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, we invite you to add your recollections to our website.
• REQUEST AN INTERVIEW WITH A STORYTELLER
Today, Kids in Birmingham 1963—a 501(c)(3) organization—has dramatically expanded its projects and activities to support our Education and Reconciliation goals. We have organized our efforts around four named initiatives:
• Civil Rights History, Schoolwide
Each initiative requires both financial support and people engagement in order to make a tangible impact within the Birmingham metropolitan area and the state of Alabama.
Looking ahead, dependable funding is a significant area of need. During 2025, individual donations generated almost 85% of the KIDS income, with more than 70% coming from three sizable but one-time contributions.
We are profoundly grateful to our donors for their past support, and hope that many of you will be able to continue contributions to KIDS in the future. During the coming year, KIDS intends to increase its applications for grants and financial assistance from both private and government sources, while also seeking to increase donations from individual supporters.
Beyond funding, KIDS continues to rely on many dedicated individuals and teams of unpaid volunteers, augmented by a small group of paid, part-time staff members. We are grateful for all of these individuals and for the many people who serve as team members and in leadership positions within KIDS. We wouldn’t have come this far without you. Thank you.
LEADERSHIP
FOUNDER: At age 10, Ann Jimerson moved with her family to Birmingham, watched her parents become active in the civil rights movement, and observed the struggles against segregation and racism happening all around her. In 2013, motivated by her memories, Ann imagined that there were others who considered this time a pivotal experience in their lives. Against the backdrop of the 50th anniversary of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, she began to find others with their own stories of the time, gradually creating the bank of resources currently offered by KIDS.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jacquelin Clarke Bell, retired from VP of Business and Administration, San Diego City College
Jeremiah Clabough, PhD, Associate Professor Curriculum Instruction, UAB School of Education
Joshua Jenkins, Secretary, Mississippi and Alabama Field Representative, National Parks Conservation Association
Ann Jimerson, Director & President, Kids in Birmingham 1963; retired from FHI 360
Dale Long, retired from City of Dallas Public Works Department
Pam Powell, Director & Producer, Bending the Arc Project; retired from director of publications and periodicals, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Valerie Price, Office of Student Success and Diversity, Samford University
Katherine Ramage, PhD, Vice President, retired from Inverness Research, Inc.
Robby Thompson, Esq, Treasurer, Staff Attorney, Alabama Court of Civil Appeals
Nefertari Yancie, PhD, Assistant Professor of History Education, Kennesaw State University
VOLUNTEER LEADERS AND TEAMS
KIDS Education Team
Goal: To motivate Birmingham-area schools to prioritize the teaching of Alabama’s civil rights history
Jackie Jackson • Ann Jimerson • Virginia Jones • Dian Murphy • Valerie Price • Bobbie Siegal • LeRoy Simmons • Linda Thacker • Melvin Todd
Educator Advisors: Dr. Jeremiah Clabough • Joshua Jenkins • Dr. Katherine Ramage
Housing Is Everything Team
Goal: To shine a spotlight on Birmingham’s history of housing discrimination and educate concerned populations on its impact and legacies
Jacqueline Bell • Olivia Ferriter • Debbie Harris • Jackie Jackson • Joshua Jenkins • Ann Jimerson • Hershel Lipow • Katherine Ramage • Susan Siegal • Paula Stanton
COLLABORATION
KIDS is eager to collaborate with other organizations with similar missions. We have teamed with these groups on grant-funded projects or other activities:
Bending the Arc Project • FHI 360 • Jefferson County Memorial Project • National Parks Conservation Association • Sandpiper Advisory Group
In 2021, KIDS initiated the Alabama History Coalition, with the aim of motivating Birmingham-area schools to prioritize the teaching of Alabama’s civil rights history. The Coalition has attracted additional Co-sponsors:
ACE–Alaquest Collaborative for Education • Bending the Arc Project • Birmingham Civil Rights Institute • Beth El Civil Rights Experience • FHI 360 • Magic City Poetry Festival • The Morgan Project • Pen America Birmingham • Sandpiper Advisory Group • The Story Acorn • Support the Vote Alabama • UAB School of Education • Vulcan Park & Museum