In 1963, Birmingham, Alabama, was the site of one of the Civil Rights Movement's most celebrated victories and one of its most well-known tragedies. As a result, the city looms large in the history of the twentieth-century black freedom struggle. As the nation marks the fiftieth anniversary of those events, though, the Birmingham story remains incomplete. Although many historians have studied Birmingham's role in the Civil Rights Movement, the existing literature still does not extend its focus into the years after 1963. Picking up the story in the mid-1960s, author Robert W. Widell Jr. explores the evolution of black activism as the city (and the country) moved into the 1970s. In so doing, it provides the historical detail that is essential in the effort to understand the 'long' black freedom struggle.

Birmingham, Alabama looms large in the history of the twentieth-century black freedom struggle, but to date historians have mostly neglected the years after 1963. Here, author Robert Widell explores the evolution of Birmingham black activism into the 1970s, providing a valuable local perspective on the "long" black freedom struggle.