The Birmingham Pledge: Mission

(Excerpt of Presentation by Jim Rotch to Operation New Birmingham Community Affairs Committee Race Relations Roundtable, July 21, 1999) I've been asked to talk with you a few minutes this morning about the history of the Birmingham Pledge, and in particular about my role in its origin. While I have spoken publicly many times about the history of the Pledge, I have never before spoken publicly about my personal part in it, and I am really reluctant to do so today because the Birmingham Pledge isn't, and never should be, about any one individual. Rather, it is the story of a group of dedicated people working together for a common cause in which we all believe very strongly, the elimination of racial prejudice in our time, and for all time. But because the Birmingham Pledge Task Force has urged me to do so, I will spend a few minutes giving the full story of the origin of the Pledge. To understand the origin of the Pledge, you must know something of the history of the Community Affairs Committee of Operation New Birmingham, the CAC. While many of you know that history well, because you have been a part of it, others may not be so familiar. The CAC was born here in Birmingham in 1969, growing out of the racial strife so prevalent here and across the country in the 50's and 60's. It was formed by a group of prominent local black and white leaders who came together searching for racial peace in this community. Since that time, the CAC has met almost every week with a single goal, the elimination of racial prejudice. While the membership has changed over the years, members have come and gone, the goal has remained the same, and the dedication of its members to that goal has remained strong. Today we meet on Monday mornings at the beautiful Civil Rights Institute, surrounded by reminders of Birmingham's darkest hours, those days of violence which marked and scarred our community indelibly reminders like the 16th Street Baptist Church across the Street, and Kelly Ingram Park, where racial violence in its worst form was brought vividly to the attention of the world in scenes that few could ever forget and that no one could erase. I grew up in a small town north of here, Fort Payne, where there were very few blacks. Those few who did live there were clearly segregated in every way possible. That is the environment I grew up in, and it seemed to me the natural order of things and at the same time it seemed vaguely troubling, wrong somehow, in a way that I managed to ignore for many years. I was a teenager in the late 50's and early 60's, preoccupied with my own personal social issues as most teenagers are. I was in high school and college when most of the racial violence in Birmingham occurred, and it seemed far removed from my life, yet always in the background, troubling. I came to Birmingham in 1971 fresh from law school, eager to begin my career. As they say, the law is a jealous mistress, and so during those early years of my practice again I found little time to focus on racial issues yet there always was present that troubling undercurrent that racial prejudice still existed, and that it was still just plain wrong. Birmingham when I arrived, and thereafter, was ashamed of its racial history, and rightly so. But little was being done, it seemed to me, about that shame and the prejudice that persisted. In 1993, I was fortunate to be included in the Leadership Birmingham class, and for the first time really learned and understood the racial history of Birmingham and the impact it still carried on our community. I was frustrated that though the violence had subsided, the racial prejudice continued. For many, the prejudice was as strong as ever. And I was frustrated because I could not see anything that I, as one individual, could do that would improve the situation. At that time, I was on the board of Operation New Birmingham, interested primarily in downtown development. I was vaguely aware that ONB had a mission to promote racial harmony as well. I began to inquire, and learned of the existence of the CAC, and decided to attend a meeting. I did attend a few times, and almost decided never to go back, because it seemed to me that there was a lot of talk about racial prejudice, but very little action to deal with it. But as I sat there in those meetings and looked across at the 16th Street Baptist Church, the uniqueness of Birmingham and its racist history became very apparent to me. I began to realize that that very history, that uniqueness, might somehow be turned to advantage in combating racial prejudice. Still, I had no idea how to accomplish that. I continued to attend CAC meetings. I became more and more involved in its activities, ultimately, with the encouragement and support of Lou Willie III and others, becoming one of the two co-chairs in 1997. Councilwoman Pat Alexander was the other Co-chair for a brief time, until she was elected to the Birmingham City Council, at which time Emily Eberhart became Co-chair with me. In 1997, I was also fortunate to be included in the Leadership Alabama class of that year. I have my partner Tom Carruthers to thank for encouraging my participation both in Leadership Birmingham and in Leadership Alabama. As I participated in the Leadership Alabama activities, I became more and more aware of the need for Birmingham, and Alabama, to put their racial history behind, but in a positive way. In November 1997, the Leadership Alabama retreat was held in Mobile. The Co-chairs were Preston Bolt, a Mobile lawyer, and Marsha Folsom, wife of former governor Jim Folsom. The retreat topic was education. On Saturday morning, Bill Smith, Chairman of the A+ education effort was one of the speakers. After Bill and the other speakers finished, Marsha Folsom announced that the next Leadership Alabama retreat would be in Birmingham in January. Then she issued a challenge to our class to try, before the next retreat, to think of a way that we could have a positive impact on racial harmony in our state like the impact that A+ was having on education. I had driven to Mobile for the retreat alone, and so had a long ride back to Birmingham by myself. As I drove, my mind turned to the challenge that Marsha had issued. I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone could just decide one day that we had lived with racial prejudice long enough, and that we should just put it behind us and move on with life. I wondered what it would take to motivate people to do just that.

(Excerpt of Presentation by Jim Rotch to Operation New Birmingham Community Affairs Committee Race Relations Roundtable, July 21, 1999)

I've been asked to talk with you a few minutes this morning about the history of the Birmingham Pledge, and in particular about my role in its origin. While I have spoken publicly many times about the history of the Pledge, I have never before spoken publicly about my personal part in it, and I am really reluctant to do so today because the Birmingham Pledge isn't, and never should be, about any one individual. Rather, it is the story of a group of dedicated people working together for a common cause in which we all believe very strongly, the elimination of racial prejudice in our time, and for all time. But because the Birmingham Pledge Task Force has urged me to do so, I will spend a few minutes giving the full story of the origin of the Pledge.

To understand the origin of the Pledge, you must know something of the history of the Community Affairs Committee of Operation New Birmingham, the CAC. While many of you know that history well, because you have been a part of it, others may not be so familiar. The CAC was born here in Birmingham in 1969, growing out of the racial strife so prevalent here and across the country in the 50's and 60's. It was formed by a group of prominent local black and white leaders who came together searching for racial peace in this community. Since that time, the CAC has met almost every week with a single goal, the elimination of racial prejudice. While the membership has changed over the years, members have come and gone, the goal has remained the same, and the dedication of its members to that goal has remained strong.

Today we meet on Monday mornings at the beautiful Civil Rights Institute, surrounded by reminders of Birmingham's darkest hours, those days of violence which marked and scarred our community indelibly reminders like the 16th Street Baptist Church across the Street, and Kelly Ingram Park, where racial violence in its worst form was brought vividly to the attention of the world in scenes that few could ever forget and that no one could erase.

I grew up in a small town north of here, Fort Payne, where there were very few blacks. Those few who did live there were clearly segregated in every way possible. That is the environment I grew up in, and it seemed to me the natural order of things and at the same time it seemed vaguely troubling, wrong somehow, in a way that I managed to ignore for many years. I was a teenager in the late 50's and early 60's, preoccupied with my own personal social issues as most teenagers are. I was in high school and college when most of the racial violence in Birmingham occurred, and it seemed far removed from my life, yet always in the background, troubling.

I came to Birmingham in 1971 fresh from law school, eager to begin my career. As they say, the law is a jealous mistress, and so during those early years of my practice again I found little time to focus on racial issues yet there always was present that troubling undercurrent that racial prejudice still existed, and that it was still just plain wrong. Birmingham when I arrived, and thereafter, was ashamed of its racial history, and rightly so. But little was being done, it seemed to me, about that shame and the prejudice that persisted.

In 1993, I was fortunate to be included in the Leadership Birmingham class, and for the first time really learned and understood the racial history of Birmingham and the impact it still carried on our community. I was frustrated that though the violence had subsided, the racial prejudice continued. For many, the prejudice was as strong as ever. And I was frustrated because I could not see anything that I, as one individual, could do that would improve the situation.

At that time, I was on the board of Operation New Birmingham, interested primarily in downtown development. I was vaguely aware that ONB had a mission to promote racial harmony as well. I began to inquire, and learned of the existence of the CAC, and decided to attend a meeting. I did attend a few times, and almost decided never to go back, because it seemed to me that there was a lot of talk about racial prejudice, but very little action to deal with it.

But as I sat there in those meetings and looked across at the 16th Street Baptist Church, the uniqueness of Birmingham and its racist history became very apparent to me. I began to realize that that very history, that uniqueness, might somehow be turned to advantage in combating racial prejudice. Still, I had no idea how to accomplish that.

I continued to attend CAC meetings. I became more and more involved in its activities, ultimately, with the encouragement and support of Lou Willie III and others, becoming one of the two co-chairs in 1997. Councilwoman Pat Alexander was the other Co-chair for a brief time, until she was elected to the Birmingham City Council, at which time Emily Eberhart became Co-chair with me.

In 1997, I was also fortunate to be included in the Leadership Alabama class of that year. I have my partner Tom Carruthers to thank for encouraging my participation both in Leadership Birmingham and in Leadership Alabama. As I participated in the Leadership Alabama activities, I became more and more aware of the need for Birmingham, and Alabama, to put their racial history behind, but in a positive way.

In November 1997, the Leadership Alabama retreat was held in Mobile. The Co-chairs were Preston Bolt, a Mobile lawyer, and Marsha Folsom, wife of former governor Jim Folsom. The retreat topic was education. On Saturday morning, Bill Smith, Chairman of the A+ education effort was one of the speakers. After Bill and the other speakers finished, Marsha Folsom announced that the next Leadership Alabama retreat would be in Birmingham in January. Then she issued a challenge to our class to try, before the next retreat, to think of a way that we could have a positive impact on racial harmony in our state like the impact that A+ was having on education.

I had driven to Mobile for the retreat alone, and so had a long ride back to Birmingham by myself. As I drove, my mind turned to the challenge that Marsha had issued. I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone could just decide one day that we had lived with racial prejudice long enough, and that we should just put it behind us and move on with life.

I wondered what it would take to motivate people to do just that.