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By Javacia Harris Bowser | The Birmingham Times
The City of Birmingham’s Office of Public Affairs hosted AWAKEN 2026: Passing the Torch on Friday, Oct. 30, at the Carver Theatre. The annual tribute, held during Magic City Classic Week, honored foot soldiers and activists of 1963 while celebrating the next generation of leaders carrying forward Birmingham’s legacy of activism, service, and justice.
“Passing the torch means more than remembering the people who came before us. It means making sure the next generation understands their sacrifices, learns from their courage, and recognizes its own power to shape the future,” said Mayor Randall L. Woodfin.
The program opened with musical selections by the Carlton Reese Memorial Choir. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times)The program opened with musical selections by the Carlton Reese Memorial Choir, including a riveting performance of John Legend and Common’s hit song “Glory,” which was led by Annetta Nunn, the first female and first Black female Chief of Police for the Birmingham Police Department.
Capturing the day’s main message, Abigail Hardy, a student from Ramsay International Baccalaureate High School, shared a poetic message to foot soldiers and activists. She paid homage to their sacrifices while also calling the names of George Floyd, Nolan Wells, and others to acknowledge that more work remains.
“You are the blueprint, so now I’ll build it,” Hardy declared.
Abigail Hardy, a student from Ramsay International Baccalaureate High School, shared a poetic message to foot soldiers and activists. (Marika N. Johnson, For The City of Birmingham)To further highlight the theme of Passing the Torch, attendees also watched a brief video capturing conversations between three foot soldiers of 1963 and three students.
City of Birmingham Poet Laureate Salaam Green shared a piece titled “Birmingham Remembers” that stirred the crowd as she spoke of the cost of courage and elements of the movement that “photographs can’t hold.”
And as for passing the torch, Green reminded the audience that “The torch is not a trophy. The torch is a battle axe.”
City of Birmingham Poet Laureate Salaam Green shared a piece titled “Birmingham Remembers.” (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times)AWAKEN 2026 featured a panel discussion with Mayor Woodfin and civil rights foot soldiers and activists Dr. Carolyn McKinstry and Janice Kelsey, moderated by WBRC-TV/FOX6 anchor Steve Crocker.
Kelsey, an educator and author, was a 16-year-old 11th grader at Ullman High School when she ditched school to gather near 16th Street Baptist Church to protest segregation in downtown Birmingham. Although Kelsey wasn’t attacked by police dogs or doused by high-pressure fire hoses, she was among the hundreds of children jailed for multiple days.
When Crocker asked what motivated her to march, Kelsey shared the story of a meeting with teens led by the Rev. James Bevel, a Mississippi-born activist and member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Bevel pointed out that while Black schools at Ullman had one typewriter, white schools like Ramsay had three rooms of electric typewriters. He also highlighted that the football teams at Black schools used second-hand equipment, often needing to paint their helmets to match their school colors.
“He continued with examples, and that got my attention,” Kelsey recalled. “And he ended with, ‘If you want to do something about it, you can.’ And I signed on because I wanted to do something about it.”
McKinstry, who was inside the 16th Street Baptist Church during the September 15, 1963 bombing that killed four young girls, spoke about the need for healing after the trauma of the era.
“On Sunday morning, a bomb exploded at 10:22 a.m. But on Monday morning, we were at school at 8 a.m., McKinstry said. “There was no moment of silent prayer…The teachers didn’t ask if everybody was okay…It was just class as usual.”
Dr. Carolyn McKinstry shared her story in “While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age During the Civil Rights Movement.” (Marika N. Johnson, For The City of Birmingham)McKinstry said her parents didn’t talk about the tragedy at home either.
“When that bomb exploded, I was 15, but I would be 15 for the next 20 years, trying to make my peace and understand, and also just wondering and being afraid.”
Part of her healing came from sharing her story, which she did in her book, “While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age During the Civil Rights Movement.”
Mayor Woodfin said hearing Kelsey’s and McKinstry’s stories “turned knots” in his stomach, yet he feels City Hall has a responsibility to make sure these stories are not forgotten.
“We should never run away from our story,” Woodfin said. “I think part of City Hall’s responsibility is to make sure this story is told to every generation… and that is well beyond a history book in the classroom.”
This includes, Woodfin said, supporting places like the Birmingham City Rights Institute, 16th Street Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park (where many protests took place) and A.G. Gaston Motel (where out-of-town activists turned for lodging during the movement).
The panelists also discussed the importance of getting young people invested in voting in all elections.
“If they read the news or listen to the news, they will find there are those…doing all they can to turn back the hands of time, and they’re doing it legally,” Kelsey said. “And if we don’t register to vote to put a stop to some of this, or at least slow it down, we’re going to be back to where we were when we started this in the 60s.”
The program concluded with Mayor Woodfin presenting all the foot soldiers of 1963 who were in attendance with the city’s Putting People First Award. After the activists filled the stage at the Carver Theatre, high school students were invited to stand in front of the stage to symbolize the passing of the torch.
“Thank you for your commitment. Thank you for your willingness. Most importantly, thank you for your bravery and your courage,” Woodfin said to the foot soldiers. “We owe you a debt of more than gratitude, and it is our responsibility to live out in action, not just in words, what you all fought for, and by definition, what is our responsibility to continue to fight for.”
The program concluded with Mayor Woodfin presenting all the foot soldiers of 1963 who were in attendance with the city’s Putting People First Award. (Marika N. Johnson, For The City of Birmingham)
