Civil Rights Events

On February 11, 1906, a violent mob of twenty-five men lynched an African American man named Bunk Richardson. In 2016, a memorial marker was dedicated to his memory, in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative. Read about it in this article. 

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Photo Credit: Historical Marker Database.  https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=116817 

Gadsden is often overlooked when people consider important Civil Rights moments from history. But Gadsden had many demonstrations, marches, sit-ins and other events. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited the city in 1963. Downtown businesses were the site of many demonstrations, while local African American churches were places for meetings and prayer events.

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Read about 5 significant Civil Rights locations here.

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Another article featuring foot soldier participants in Civil Rights marches in Gadsden, Alabama. 

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Watch this video of Elaine Harris Spearman, NAACP Etowah County President, talking about growing up in segregated Gadsden and her participation in a Civil Rights demonstration at the McClellan's store.

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Photo Credit: Gadsden Times; Associated Press (1963 March on Broad Street in Gadsden, AL)