The First African Baptist Church held a special service Sunday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of “Bloody Tuesday,” a pivotal moment in the city’s civil rights movement.
The service, organized by the Bloody Tuesday Committee, honored those who participated in Tuscaloosa’s “Bloody Tuesday” march, which was intended to protest segregated facilities at the then-new Tuscaloosa County Courthouse.
More: Tuscaloosa protesters complete the walk, 60 years after Bloody Tuesday
That day, June 9, 1964, law enforcement officers and an angry mob of white citizens brutalized a group of peaceful protesters.
Now, Tuscaloosa’s Bloody Tuesday Committee and other community partners want to ensure a historic day is never forgotten.
“Some in this room may be wondering, ‘Why are we celebrating the 60th anniversary of Bloody Tuesday?’” Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox said during Sunday’s program. “It’s not just to not forget, it’s to remember that in order to form a more perfect union, this country must celebrate its past.”
Tuscaloosa residents, church members and march participants, commonly called foot soldiers, gathered in the church sanctuary to commemorate the Bloody Tuesday attack, which took place outside and inside the church 60 years ago.
The service, which had the theme, “Where Do We Go from Here,” included singing, dancing and fellowship.
The Rev. Ransey O’Daniel, the service’s guest speaker, delivered a sermon with a message of thanks to the Bloody Tuesday foot soldiers for displaying what he called a noble act of selflessness. Several foot soldiers were present and received a standing ovation from the crowd.
“They came together to protest racial segregation. They weren’t thinking about themselves, they were thinking about how they could help someone else,” said O’Daniel, who is pastor of Christ Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa.
Bloody Tuesday Committee member Irene Byrd honored the foot soldiers and thanked them for their courage and activism.
“You are honored, you are special…” said Byrd, who also participated in the Bloody Tuesday march.
Byrd praised her fellow foot soldiers for their positive impact on Tuscaloosa’s civil rights movement.
“We have played a small role in changing facial segregation in this city,” she said.
Byrd said she and the other protesters will always be known as the “young foot soldiers in the city of Tuscaloosa.”
A video was shared during the service showing U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, who also commemorated the 60th anniversary on the House floor in Washington, D.C., on June 7
During her speech, Sewell recognized the Tuscaloosa chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
“Although less known, the events of Bloody Tuesday set the stage for Bloody Sunday and the eventual march from Selma to Montgomery. I commend the Tuscaloosa SCLC for their work to keep the memory of Bloody Tuesday alive. I ask my colleagues to join me to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Bloody Tuesday. We must never forget it,” Sewell said.
After the service, the church led a march to the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse. Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy addressed the crowd in front of the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse.
The Rev. Walter Hawkins, pastor of Dry Creek Baptist Church in Fosters, also spoke at the courthouse.
After the march, participants returned to the church for a reception. The reception included a book signing with John Giggie, associate professor of history at the University of Alabama. Giggie presented his book, “Bloody Tuesday: Civil Rights History and Memory in Tuscaloosa,” which is based on more than 100 oral histories supported by media accounts and official documents.
Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: ‘We must never, ever forget’: Church honors Bloody Tuesday protesters
