Sharing Our Stories

KIDS was founded in 2013 with the idea that a full and accurate history of civil rights in Birmingham needs to include the personal stories and experiences of the people who lived here, and is especially and uniquely well told through the young people of that era, Black and white.

Today, KIDS offers the personal recollections—via text, photos, audio, and video files—of many  individuals, most of whom lived in or near Birmingham during the pivotal year of 1963. Importantly, KIDS goes beyond simply capturing and preserving memories and commentary to actively promoting the availability of this important body of content. Across the past decade, dozens of visitors—including educators, journalists, authors, and content producers—have connected with our contributors for in-person interviews, panels, and classroom visits. Hundreds more have  accessed our online stories to inform and support diverse communication projects and educational programs.

 Highlights: 

• To date, over 100 students and teachers from across the US have reached out to Kids in Birmingham 1963, requesting contact with our storytellers who have generously responded. We  make classroom visits (in-person and virtual), host student tour groups when they visit Birmingham, and facilitate the coveted interviews that help students advance their National History Day projects to state- and national-level competitions. 
• Journalists from international and US-based media outlets have requested and secured one-on-one interviews with multiple KIDS storytellers. Website content and in-person interviews have resulted in significant media coverage from print, digital and broadcast outlets. KIDS stories have been featured within international platforms including  German Public Radio and the Wales Arts Review. 
• At least six book authors have mined KIDS stories and interviewed our storytellers to enrich their books, including a novel (Beyond All Sense and Reason, by Mike Diccicco), a children’s picture book (Let the Children March, by Monica Clark-Robinson), and a memoir for young people (Child of the Dream: A Memoir of 1963, by Sharon Robinson, daughter of baseball great Jackie Robinson).

See next KIDS initiative, Dialogue Builds Bridges

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