Barack Obama

“ These vivid examples of segregation and racial injustice shocked the conscience of the Nation and the world.
The marches and demonstrations continued. Fearing civil unrest and irreparable damage to the city's reputation, on May 8 the Birmingham business community and local leaders agreed to release the peaceful protesters, integrate lunch counters, and begin to hire African Americans. On May 10, 1963, the Gaston Motel served as the site to announce this compromise between local white leaders and civil rights advocates. ”

“ As the young protesters entered the park, authorities ordered them to evacuate the area; when they did not leave, firemen trained their water cannons on them. The high-pressure jets of water knocked them to the ground and tore at their clothing. Connor next deployed the canine corps to disperse the crowd. Police directed six German shepherds towards the crowd and commanded them to attack. Reporters documented the violence, and the next day the country was confronted with dramatic scenes of brutal police aggression against civil rights protesters. ”

“ The establishment of the monument is subject to valid existing rights. If the Federal Government acquires any lands or interests in lands not owned or controlled by the Federal Government within the boundaries described on the accompanying map, such lands and interests in lands shall be reserved as a part of the monument, and objects identified above that are situated upon those lands and interests in lands shall be part of the monument, upon acquisition of ownership or control by the Federal Government. ”

“ Several Southern politicians announced that laws must be respected, and across the South outward signs of segregation began to disappear.
Partially as a result of the Federal legislation outlawing discrimination in public accommodations, business at the Gaston Motel suffered. African Americans had more choices in motels and dining. When King returned to Birmingham for an SCLC conference in 1964, he and three dozen colleagues checked into the Parliament House, then considered Birmingham's finest hotel. ”

“ The direct action campaign—known as "Project C" for confrontation—challenged unfair laws designed to limit the freedoms of African Americans and ensure racial inequality. Throughout the campaign, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Reverend Ralph David Abernathy of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) , Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) , and other movement leaders rented rooms at the Gaston Motel and held regular strategy sessions there. ”