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Fred Shuttlesworth

Pop Culture

Why We Should All Care More About the Civil Rights Movement

16th Street Baptist Church

 

16th Street Baptist Church, where four little girls were murdered in a racially-fueled bombing

We just got back from a road trip to Birmingham. Though the drive was full of interesting discoveries that only the Deep South can offer- 10-foot road kill alligators and strange women accusing you of practicing witchcraft- it’s a very exhausting drive to do in four days with a handicapped boyfriend (damn you, rotator cuff surgery).

The reason we drove to Birmingham is for the lovely Sidewalk Film Festival, where our film, Loves Her Gun, screened. I was very excited to visit this complex city and to learn more about its history regarding the Civil Rights Movement.

Birmingham has very strong ties with the Civil Rights Movement- for good and for bad. It was the home of the brave and fearless Civil Rights leader Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and the cowardly Eugene “Bull” Connor (I wrote about Fred Shuttlesworth, who died on the same day as Steve Jobs, about why he ultimately is (more…)

August 28, 2013 by
Pop Culture

Who Was Fred Shuttlesworth and Why He’s As Important as Steve Jobs

The same day that Steve Jobs passed away, a Civil Rights icon died as well. Fred Shuttlesworth, a pastor, a freedom rider, and overall badass, died at the age of 89 in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama on Wednesday.

Though his passing received some play, it was largely overshadowed by the technology icon’s death. I really shouldn’t be surprised, but it saddened me nonetheless. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know who Fred Shuttlesworth was before he passed away and I’ve always been interested in the Civil Rights movement. Fred Shuttlesworth was there right alongside Martin Luther King Jr., stood up against the KKK, and survived multiple attempts on his life, but his story is mostly left out of the history books.

On Wednesday the majority of Facebook updates were aimed towards one man- Steve Jobs. Many people felt as though they lost a family member. There is no doubt that Steve Jobs has greatly influenced modern culture- many of our lives revolve around the products he’s designed. But (more…)

October 7, 2011 by