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The Birth of the Modern Civil Rights Movement in America
The arrest of Rosa Parks on December 1,1955, for her refusal to yield her seat on a Montgomery public transit bus to a white man, a defiance of local segregation laws, provided the impetus for change in the city, and indeed, in the nation.
Organizations such as the Women’s Political Council, the NAACP, and ultimately, the Montgomery Improvement Association mobilized to use Mrs. Parks’ arrest as an opportunity to challenge the unjust segregation laws in Montgomery. On December 2, 1955, a Friday, some 50 men, meeting at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, planned a one-day boycott of the buses on Monday, December 5, and to hold a city-wide mass meeting that evening to decide future action.
In attendance at the Dexter Avenue meeting was Reverend A.W. Wilson, pastor of the Holt Street Baptist Church, who offered the church as the site for the mass meeting. Meanwhile, a meeting of about 16 men was held at Mount Zion A.M.E. Church on Monday afternoon, December 5, at which time the Montgomery Improvement Association was formed, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. named as its president. On Monday evening, December 5, 1955, following a day of virtually empty buses rolling through the streets of Montgomery, an estimated 5000 people met at Holt Street Baptist Church, spilling over into the streets, parking lots, and surrounding area.
Out of this meeting, one of the most successful boycotts in history was launched and subsequently directed for its duration, under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Thus, the modern Civil Rights Movement was born.The organizational strategy of the Montgomery Bus Boycott provided a model for civil rights activism throughout the country for the next two decades. Black Montgomerians, through courage, dignity, and non-violent action, helped to effect societal change and to ensure freedom and justice for all.
History of Holt Street Baptist Church
Founded by a dedicated community of believers, Holt Street Baptist Church began its journey. The Holt Street Baptist Church was established in 1909. The church building, located at the corner of Holt Street and Bullock Street, was completed in 1913. The church served as a meeting place for Montgomery's black community during the Montgomery bus boycott.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Speech
The Holt Street Baptist Church Historical Society aims to preserve the history of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and of the Movement which it launched, through the creation and maintaining of a museum to be housed in the church building that was the site of the mass meeting that launched the Boycott – and the Civil Rights Movement which it spawned.
The museum will serve as a repository of historical materials on the Bus Boycott and the Holt Street Baptist Church, and as an information center with small exhibitions on the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery and Alabama. Through this medium as an educational, cultural, and research center, the Society’s goal is to sustain the rich heritage and history of the Holt Street Baptist Church, the Movement in Montgomery and Alabama, and the Church’s role in it.
The Society seeks to promote an understanding of the role of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the national struggle to gain civil rights for people of color in this country, and to augment their participation in the democratic process and the free enterprise system.The Society’s vision is to be recognized by all Alabamians as vital to the understanding of the history of the state and the nation.
Montgomery has become synonymous with the courage and dignity of those citizens of 1955.The Holt Street Baptist Church Historical Society seeks to sustain the rich heritage of this mass movement, and by doing so, inject new meaning into history!”
Legacy of the HOLT STREET BAPTIST CHURCH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Holt Street Baptist Church Historical Society aims to preserve the history of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and of the Movement which it launched, through the creation and maintaining of a museum to be housed in the church building that was the site of the mass meeting that launched the Boycott – and the Civil Rights Movement which it spawned. The museum will serve as a repository of historical materials on the Bus Boycott and the Holt Street Baptist Church, and as an information center with small exhibitions on the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery and Alabama. Through this medium as an educational, cultural, and research center, the Society’s goal is to sustain the rich heritage and history of the Holt Street Baptist Church, the Movement in Montgomery and Alabama, and the Church’s role in it.
The Society seeks to promote an understanding of the role of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the national struggle to gain civil rights for people of color in this country, and to augment their participation in the democratic process and the free enterprise system. The Society’s vision is to be recognized by all Alabamians as vital to the understanding of the history of the state and the nation.
The church's sanctuary became a place of empowerment and solidarity, where powerful speeches were delivered, strategies were devised, and the community found strength in unity. The congregants of Holt Street Memorial Baptist Church played a crucial role in the success of the boycott, demonstrating the power of collective action and nonviolent resistance.Montgomery has become synonymous with the courage and dignity of those citizens of 1955. The Holt Street Baptist Church Historical Society seeks to sustain the rich heritage of this mass movement, and by doing so, inject new meaning into history!
