Justice Committee

Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham

The UUCB Justice Committee provides leadership for the social justice concerns of the church, metro area, state, nation, and the global community.

Contact

4300 Hampton Heights Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209

justice@uucbham.org

(205) 945-8109

Alabama Arise

Alabama Arise is a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of congregations, organizations and individuals united in the belief that people in poverty are suffering because of state policy decisions. Through Alabama Arise, groups and individuals join together to promote policies to improve the lives of Alabamians with low incomes. Arise provides a structure in which Alabamians can engage in public debates to promote the common good.

Contact

P.O. Box 1188, Montgomery, AL 36101

alarise.org

(334) 832-9060

Alabama Interfaith Refugee Partnership

The Alabama Interfaith Refugee Partnership (ALIRP) is an interfaith group of religious leaders and laypersons, as well as representatives of other community groups, who have come together for the purpose of helping refugees and asylum-seekers, in light of the current migration crisis that has displaced millions of people. ALIRP’s goal is to support refugees and asylum seekers here in Alabama through advocacy, education, and direct support.

Contact

alirp.org

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) stands as a national authority on the history of the Civil Rights Movement. BCRI reaches more than 150,000 individuals each year through their programs and services, and the Institute itself brings people from all over the country.

Contact

520 16th St N, Birmingham, AL 35203

bcri.org

Greater Birmingham Ministries

Greater Birmingham Ministries (GBM) was founded in 1969 in response to urgent human and justice needs in the greater Birmingham area. BGM is a multi-faith, multi-racial organization that provides emergency services for people in need and engages the poor and the non-poor in systemic change efforts to build a strong, supportive, engaged community and pursue a more just society for all people.

Contact

2304 12th Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35234

gbm.org

(205) 326-6821

Kids in Birmingham 1963

Kids in Birmingham 1963 is a nonprofit organization made up of people, black + white, who witnessed The Year of Birmingham. We capture and broadly promote our stories to improve civil rights teaching in Birmingham/Jefferson County and beyond. We foster dialogue on the truth about race and caste in our nation as an essential first step toward reconciliation—in Birmingham, in the U.S., and globally.

Contact

kidsinbirmingham1963.org

The Beth El Civil Rights Experience

The Beth El Civil Rights Experience is a multimedia project exploring the intersection of Birmingham’s Jewish and Civil Rights histories. This dynamic community history venture is comprised of original research, programming and educational initiatives and the development of an audio tour and visitor’s site featuring a short film, exhibit and interactive, facilitated experience.

You can learn more about the Beth El Civil Rights Experience by visiting their website or get in touch by emailing Margaret Norman.

Contact

mnorman@templebeth-el.net

templebeth-el.net

The Jefferson County Memorial Project

Greater Birmingham Ministries

The Jefferson County Memorial Project is a grassroots coalition composed of more than 35 community partners and a multi-racial, multi-faith, multi-sector, and multi-generational group of committed volunteers. The four goals of the project are to (1) research Jefferson County’s 30 documented racial terror victims and their descendants; (2) educate the public on the importance of this history; (3) place historical markers at lynching sites and retrieve the Jefferson County monument from the National Memorial for Peace and Justice; and (4) advocate for reform where racial injustice still exists in Alabama today.

Contact

2304 12th Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35234

jeffersoncountymemorial.com

The Morgan Project

The Morgan Project was founded in June 2020 to provide active and meaningful programs that work to eradicate systemic racism, develop a place for citizens to discuss the effects of racism on society, and champion equal justice for all. The group was established in the wake of civil unrest and the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many others, by several members of YMBC, a long-standing civic group in Birmingham who realized that it was time, yet again, to take a stand against racism. The project is named for the late Birmingham attorney Charles Morgan, Jr., who delivered a powerful speech after the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963, declaring that all of Birmingham’s citizens—not just those who threw the bomb, but also those who had been silent against racism—were guilty of the hateful crime.

Contact

morganproject.org

themorganprojectal@gmail.com

UAB Institute for Human Rights

The Institute for Human Rights serves as a platform for research and education on human rights with a particular focus on the struggle of vulnerable and marginalized populations, including minorities, refugees, women, children, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, and people dealing with the consequences of poverty. The IHR’s content-related emphasis is on the social movements associated with human rights—the bottom-up approach and grassroots efforts that lead to empower communities to claim their human rights.

Contact

Heritage Hall Room 551, 1401 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35294

ihr@uab.edu

(205) 934-5643

Bending the Arc | The Vote is a film about the hard-fought battle to expand voting rights to all people in Alabama in the 1960s. The film will premiere on Tuesday, October 20, at 6:30 PM CST via YouTube. Register for the free virtual event on Facebook or .

1820

THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE

When the Missouri Territory first applied for statehood in 1818, it was clear that many in the territory wanted to allow slavery in the new state. Part of the more than 800,000 square miles bought from France in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, Missouri was known as the Louisiana Territory until 1812, when it was renamed to avoid confusion with the newly admitted state of Louisiana.

Missouri’s bid to become the first state west of the Mississippi River—and to allow slavery within its borders—set off a bitter debate in a Congress that was, like the nation itself, already divided into pro- and anti-slavery factions.

During the debate, Rep. James Tallmadge of New York proposed an amendment to the statehood bill that would have eventually ended slavery in Missouri and set free the existing enslaved workers living there. The amended bill passed narrowly in the House of Representatives, where Northerners held a slight edge. But in the Senate, where free and slave states had exactly the same number of senators, the pro-slavery faction managed to strike out Tallmadge’s amendment, and the House refused to pass the bill without it.

After this stalemate, Missouri renewed its application for statehood in late 1819. This time, Speaker of the House Henry Clay proposed that Congress admit Missouri to the Union as a state that allowed slavery, but at the same time admit Maine (which at the time was part of Massachusetts) as a free state.

In February 1820, the Senate added a second part to the joint statehood bill: With the exception of Missouri, slavery would be banned in all of the former Louisiana Purchase lands north of the 36º 30’ latitude, which ran along Missouri’s southern border.

In March 3, 1820, the House passed the Senate version of the bill, and President James Monroe signed it into law four days later. The following month, the former President Thomas Jefferson wrote to a friend that the “Missouri question…like a fire bell in the night, awakened and filled me with terror. I considered it at once as the knell of the Union. It is hushed indeed for the moment. But this is a reprieve only, not a final sentence.”

Though the Missouri Compromise managed to keep the peace at the time, it failed to resolve the pressing question of slavery and its place in the nation’s future. Pro-slavery citizens who opposed the Missouri Compromise did so because it set a precedent for Congress to make laws concerning slavery, while abolitionists disliked the law because it meant slavery was expanding into new territory.

The Missouri Compromise would remain in force for just over 30 years before it was repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott decision that the compromise was unconstitutional, setting the stage for the Civil War.

Source

History.com – Missouri Compromise

Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama

The Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA) is a community development and advocacy organization that champions economic equality, civic engagement, and social justice for Latino and immigrant families in Alabama. HICA was created in 1999 to address concerns relating to healthcare access, education, economic development, legal issues, and community outreach for immigrant Latinos.

Contact

1826 6th Avenue South, Irondale, AL 35210

PO Box 190299, Birmingham, AL 35219

hicaalabama.org

(205) 942-5505

(866) 502-HICA(4422)

Margins

The goal of Margins is to uplift and strengthen Black women and their ability to parent. The organization aims to intervene in poverty-stricken familial units and restore hope by providing practical support; this includes but is not limited to bill assistance, avenues for self-care, childcare, activities for children and parents and monetary help.

Contact

marginsw4bw.weebly.com

facebook.com/Margins-Women-Helping-Black-Women

Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama

Contact

1826 6th Avenue South, Irondale, AL 35210

PO Box 190299, Birmingham, AL 35219

hicaalabama.org

(205) 942-5505

(866) 502-HICA(4422)

Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice

The Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ) is a grassroots, statewide network of individuals and organizations that works to advance and defend the rights of immigrants in Alabama. ACIJ consists of six non-profit organizations, and hundreds of individual members. The coalition is leading Alabama to a more equitable and just multi-ethnic, multi-lingual future—building a better Alabama for everyone, from the ground up.

Contact

1826 6th Avenue South, Irondale, AL 35210

alimmigrant.org

(205) 945-0777

The Grassroots Coalition of Birmingham

The Grassroots Coalition of Birmingham is a collective of local grassroots-minded non-profits, professionals, activists, and community leaders seeking to create and promote a Black Economic Agenda as a form of restorative justice and as one of the first steps in promoting social cohesion in the Birmingham Metro Area. A key goal of the organization is to create a best practices model for elected officials, candidates for upcoming elections, coalition members, and concerned citizens.

Contact

grassrootsbham.com

grassrootscoalitionalabama@gmail.com

Faith in Action Alabama

Faith in Action Alabama seeks to help create a society free of economic oppression, racism and discrimination, in which every person lives in a safe and healthy environment, is respected and included, and has agency over the decisions that shape their lives. The organization is building a people-powered movement based on the belief that organizing is the best way to address the spiritual and material crises facing our society.

Contact

2100 4th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203

faithinaction.org/federation/faith-in-action-alabama

(205) 451-3352

Our Firm Foundation

Our Firm Foundation seeks positive change in the community by implementing a multi-generational approach to mentoring, allowing children and their parents and guardians to thrive. The foundation provides courses on social emotional learning (SEL), science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), along with career mentoring to families in Birmingham City Schools.

Contact

ourfirmfoundation.org

ourfirmfoundationbirmingham@gmail.com

(205) 603-5329

The People’s Justice Council

The People’s Justice Council was founded with a vision to create a just, equitable, sustainable world by connecting people with policy. The organization engages and equips communities with tools to build power from the grassroots up and to fight for justice at the policy level.

Contact

1500 Daniel Payne Dr, Birmingham, AL 35214

thepeoplesjusticecouncil.org

(678) 913-7477

Offender Alumni Association

The Offender Alumni Association’s mission is to create a network of former offenders who inspire each other to reduce recidivism, develop healthy relationships within their communities, and provide opportunities for social, economic, and civic empowerment.

Contact

1000 24th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35205

offenderalumniassociation.org

(205) 916-0123

Be a Blessing Birmingham

Be a Blessing Birmingham was created increase awareness and build community support for the city’s large homeless population. Once a month, the organization hosts a “Blessing Day” where they gather to purchase and distribute hygiene items and clothing to homeless citizens in downtown Birmingham.

Contact

beablessingbirmingham.com

BeABlessingBirmingham@gmail.com

Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity

The Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity (JCCEO) seeks to reduce poverty and help low-income citizens of Jefferson County, Alabama to meet critical needs and become self-sufficient.

Contact

300 8th Avenue West, Birmingham, AL 35204-3039

info@jcceo.org

(205) 327-7500

Voters Legal Justice Watch Group

The Voters Legal Watch Group is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded on the principle of securing voter equality and fairness in the legal system. Their mission is to hold our elected officials and political candidates accountable and to fight for fair treatment and justice for all people.

Contact

voterslegaljusticewatchgroup@gmail.com

(205) 203-5303

Birmingham Black Economic Alliance

The Black Economic Alliance is a coalition of business leaders and aligned advocates committed to economic progress and prosperity in the Black community, with a specific focus on work, wages, and wealth.

Contact

blackeconomicalliance.org

facebook.com/Birmingham-Black-Economic-Alliance

The Equal Justice Initiative

The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

Contact

122 Commerce St, Montgomery, AL 36104

eji.org

(334) 269-1803

Office of Social Justice and Racial Equity

City of Birmingham

The goal of the Office of Social Justice and Racial Equity is to create a just and equitable Birmingham. Through advocacy, engagement, and implementation, the office seeks to employ social justice as a core principle in City of Birmingham policies, operations and decision-making.

Contact

710 20th St N, Ste 401, Birmingham, AL 35203

birminghamal.gov/socialjustice

justice@birminghamal.gov

(205) 297-8026

The Birmingham Urban League

The Birmingham Urban League, founded in 1967 as part of the National Urban League, is a community-based organization dedicated to empowering communities and changing lives in the areas of education, jobs, housing, and health. The mission of the organization is to enable underserved residents to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights.

Contact

1229 3rd Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203

info@birminghamul.org

(205) 326-0162

Black Lives Matter

Birmingham Chapter

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a national movement on the front lines of fighting racial injustice. The Birmingham metro chapter of BLM shares resources that promote racial equality in Birmingham—from educational events to socials to political organizing and more.

Contact

facebook.com/blmbirmingham/

birminghamblm@gmail.com

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Contact

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have a story to share? Add your voice.

The Bending the Arc team plans to continue interviewing people and collecting their stories (via video, audio, photography, and print) for years to come. If you’d like to be interviewed, or if you have video, audio, photos, or written stories to contribute, please contact us.

Ways to get involved

add your organization to the list

Justice Committee

Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham

more info

Alabama Arise

more info

Alabama Interfaith Refugee Partnership

more info

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

more info

Greater Birmingham Ministries

more info

Kids in Birmingham 1963

more info

The Beth El Civil Rights Experience

more info

The Jefferson County Memorial Project

more info

The Morgan Project

more info

UAB Institute for Human Rights

more info

Interweaving efforts for peace and justice

Full List

working to promote social justice in Birmingham

First-hand accounts of the culture of segregation in Birmingham in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s

Voices

The Bending the Arc Project features the stories of both African Americans and a small group of little-known white allies who fought for racial justice during the Civil Rights Movement.

info@bendingthearcproject.com

‭(205) 533-4207‬

The Bending the Arc Project features the stories of both African Americans and a small group of little-known white allies who fought for racial justice during the Civil Rights Movement.