By Chanda Temple

June 15 is the deadline to sign up to be a volunteer for the World Police and Fire Games, which will be in Birmingham June 27 – July 6.

Different opportunities are available, including registration, competition assistant, athlete check-in, timers/counters, results runners, medals, set up and tear down, and more. A majority of the volunteer slots are in Birmingham, but other slots are in Jefferson, Shelby and Talladega counties. There are no remote positions. Some positions, such as registration, check-in, score keepers, etc., are available for those who cannot stand for long periods of time. Groups and clubs are encouraged to register, too.

Applicants must be 16 years old by June 1, 2025 to volunteer.  

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By Chanda Temple

Foot soldiers and more than 200 students will gather in Kelly Ingram Park on Friday, May 9 to re-enact the 1963 Birmingham Children’s Crusade, also known as the Children’s March. Participants will meet at the park’s pavilion at 8:30 a.m. At 9 a.m., they will gather at Sixth Avenue North and 17^th Street North to start walking toward Birmingham City Hall.  They will end their walk at Boutwell Auditorium, where they will watch a 40-minute documentary and hear from speakers. Organizers estimate that they will arrive at Boutwell around 9:30 a.m. Several community partners will have tables set up in the Boutwell lobby for students to collect resources.

Birmingham’s historic Children’s Crusade, which took place May 2-10,1963, involved more than 1,000 students walking downtown to talk to leadership at City Hall about segregation. At the time, many students left their schools to conduct peaceful marches. They were arrested, released from jail, marched again and arrested again. Children were sprayed with fire hoses and attacked by police dogs. The event, which compelled President John F. Kennedy to publicly support federal civil rights legislation, eventually led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  

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