Between 1947 and 1967, black-owned homes in Birmingham, Alabama were bombed over 50 times.
Homes on Center Street were targeted so often, the neighborhood became known as ‘Dynamite Hill.’
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Jefferson Drew
1108 Center Street
Jefferson Drew’s family was deeply entrenched in the Civil Rights Movement. His parents, John and Addine Drew, were key figures who supported and hosted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders in their home on "Dynamite Hill," a neighborhood frequently targeted by bombings due to its residents challenging segregation. The Drew household not only provided shelter but also served as a critical meeting place for strategizing the movement's next steps in the fight for equality and justice.
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Barbara Shores
1021 Center Street
Barbara Shores lives in the house where she was raised on Birmingham’s Dynamite Hill. Her father Arthur Shores was a prominent civil rights attorney, and their home was a hub for civil rights activities and was frequently targeted by bombings due to Arthur Shores' legal work against segregation. Barbara has continued her father's legacy through community engagements and her involvement in projects like the Birmingham Civil Rights Trail, which commemorates the struggle for racial equality.
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Hon. Houston Brown
4 10th Court North
Judge Houston Brown is a respected figure in the Birmingham, Alabama judiciary, known for his dedication to justice and mentorship of young lawyers. His parents, Major and Eliza Jane Brown, were instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement, enduring the racial tensions of the era. Judge Brown's career and personal history reflect a deep commitment to civil rights and community service, continuing the legacy of his family's fight for equality and justice.
“I can’t leave. I have to stay here and continue to tell the story to whoever asks as long as I’m alive and able. That’s what I’m doing, as painful as it is.
I’m still here.”
Jefferson Drew
About This Project
Members of the Leadership Birmingham Class of 2022 received the rare gift of a living history lesson about a turning point in American history from those who lived it - Jefferson Drew, Barbara Shores, and Judge Houston Brown.
What happened on Birmingham, Alabama’s Center Street is a scar on American history, but the voices of Dynamite Hill speak with strength and grace about how they faced unimaginable hatred, with one repeated refrain: “I’m still here.”
Jefferson Drew encouraged the group to not just take the story to heart, but to take action.
That meeting inspired us to create a multi-disciplinary media vessel for the story that opened our Leadership Birmingham experience, taking action to educate others about our history in hope that we can create societies that abide no hatred.
If this story opens one set of eyes, emboldens one young voice, or changes one heart, we will have been successful.