For Bernida Byrd, the Sunday night ceremony at First African Baptist Church provided an opportunity to teach her children about a pivotal moment in Tuscaloosa's civil rights history.

For Bernida Byrd, the Sunday night ceremony at First African Baptist Church provided an opportunity to teach her children about a pivotal moment in Tuscaloosa's civil rights history.



“We hear a lot about the civil rights movement and unjust things that took place,” Byrd said. “Many of us have no idea that the same things took place here in our own city of Tuscaloosa.”



Byrd's mother-in-law, Irene Byrd, was a 16-year-old member of the church on June 9, 1964, when a group of black civil rights activists marched from the First African Baptist Church to the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse to protest segregated water fountains and restrooms. During the protest, marchers were beaten and arrested by Tuscaloosa police officers. Thirty-three people were hospitalized and 94 were arrested in what has become known as "Bloody Tuesday."



Federal Judge Seybourn Lynne ordered Tuscaloosa County to remove the discriminatory signs on June 25, and they were gone less than a week later.



The next year, on March 7, 1965, more than 600 peaceful marchers were beaten and tear-gassed by law enforcement authorities during a voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery in what has become known as “Bloody Sunday.”



National outrage over the “Bloody Sunday” beatings led President Lyndon Johnson to propose the Voting Rights Act of 1965. When approved by Congress it opened voting booths to millions of blacks in the South and ended all-white governments.



While the events of "Bloody Sunday" are more well-known, Sunday's ceremony at First African Baptist Church commemorated the 52nd year since the key moment in Tuscaloosa's civil rights movement.



Bernida Byrd’s daughter, Taleah, said it was an honor to be the granddaughter of someone who marched for the cause of civil rights, but she added that it's most important to honor those who paved the way for generations after them during a trying time.



The Rev. Richard L. Morgan, pastor of First African Baptist Church, urged the congregation to band together, just like "Bloody Tuesday" marchers did. Morgan said he believes the civil rights activists of the 1960s had a unique way of partnering with each other in good and bad times.



“They knew how to be friends in the midst of a tragedy,” Morgan said.



Jon Atkinson said he came to the ceremony because events like these are part of the healing process.



“To understand the feelings of African-Americans who have been through these terrible times allows us to respect each other,” Atkinson said.



Morgan said it doesn't matter what a person's race, color or gender is; if something is unjust, action must be taken to ensure change. At times, it may seem that the odds are against a cause, but justice will prevail if we hold on and hold out, Morgan said.



Atkinson said he believes blacks and whites need to come together to make things better for future generations. He cited a national debate over the use of excessive force by police, especially against black men.



“There are still unjust things happening today in the black community and we need to do all we can to prevent this,” Atkinson said.