Water sustains life — but history reminds us it has also been used as a weapon.
At Kelly Ingram Park, one of the most powerful moments of the Civil Rights Movement unfolded during the Birmingham Campaign.
In May 1963, thousands of young people joined what became known as the Children’s Crusade, marching to demand the desegregation of Birmingham’s businesses.
In response, the city’s Commissioner of Public Safety, Eugene “Bull” Connor, ordered police to turn high-pressure fire hoses and attack dogs on the children.
The water cannons — capable of knocking people to the ground and stripping bark from trees — blasted young protesters in the streets surrounding this park. Hundreds of children were arrested.
But the images that followed changed the nation.
Photos and television footage of children being struck by fire hoses and threatened by dogs spread across the country and around the world, sparking outrage and helping accelerate the push toward desegregation in Birmingham and momentum for the broader Civil Rights Movement.
Today, the monuments in Kelly Ingram Park remind visitors that water has a complicated history with humanity and has been used in moments of profound injustice.
waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability. Visit https://www.waterloop.org/
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