On September 9th, 1957, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth of Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, notified the press and law enforcement authorities that he would be taking his daughters to enroll Phillips High School, then still an all-white school several years after Brown v. Board of Education. When the Shuttlesworths reached the school the next morning, they were met by cameras, very few policemen, and an armed mob wielding chains, bats, and brass knuckles. Rev. Shuttlesworth was beaten within an inch of his life as police looked on. His wife, Ruby, was stabbed by an assailant with a knife, and their daughter, Ricky, suffered an ankle injury when her foot was slammed in the car door as she tried to exit. Rev. Shuttlesworth later positively identified his attackers in court in front of a grand jury. The grand jury refused to indict any of them. Sound familiar?
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 04:43:12 +0000
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