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BCRI_Young.flv
BCRI_Young_x264.mp4
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This podcast is part of the series: BCRI Oral History

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

School/Organization:

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Overview:

Emma Young was born in Camden, Wilcox County, Alabama in 1902.  She moved to Birmingham as a young married woman.  While in Birmingham, she worked as a housewife in her own home, and as a domestic in the homes of White families.  In addition, she worked as a cook and maid at downtown hotels.
 
When Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Birmingham to assist the local Civil Rights Movement, Young was active in the movement with her children and grandchildren.  She attended mass meetings and demonstrations, and her son, grandson, and granddaughter were jailed. Mrs. Young passed away at the age of 102. 
 
Listen to Emma Young relay the story of an encounter between Birmingham police commissioner, Bull Conner, and a group of rabbis who had traveled to Birmingham in 1963 to observe the movement and support the efforts of local Blacks working to end segregation's grip on the city. 

Length: 02:03

Content Areas: Social Studies

Alabama Course of Study Alignments and/or Professional Development Standard Alignments:

[T1] ALS (4) 14: Describe the social, political, and economic impact of the modern Civil Rights Movement on Alabama.
[T1] US4 (6) 13: Describe the role of major civil rights leaders and significant events occurring during the modern Civil Rights Movement.
[T1] UH4 (11) 12: Trace events of the modern Civil Rights Movement from post-World War II to 1970 that resulted in social and economic changes, including the Montgomery bus boycott, the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School, the march on Washington, and the Freedom Rides.