Fifty-five years ago this month, thousands of African-American school children began a peaceful march in Birmingham, Ala., to protest segregation, and were met with attack dogs and water hoses. Images of violence and brutality against the protesters shocked the nation, inspired international support for desegregation efforts, and ultimately paved the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
For a new generation of students, traveling to Birmingham has made that moment in history come alive. In this video, which originally aired on PBS Newshour, Education Week correspondent Lisa Stark accompanied students from Polaris Charter Academy in Chicago, Ill., who traveled more than 600 miles to hear first-hand accounts from civil rights activists who were part of the original Children鈥檚 Crusade in Birmingham.
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