FLAG STEWARD - Caretaker of Our Flag & Heralder of the Stories, Lessons, & Virtues woven within
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Welcome to Flag Steward's
Be a Stud Citizen - Reminders from Our Flag

(relaying US History & Civics info)
for Monday, May 3, 2021​
​​​
[ Flags flying at Folsom Field at Univ. of Colorado, Boulder in May 2019 = S. Sweeney pic ] 
[ 3 Ways for You & Students to Experience today's 'Be a Stud Citizen - Reminders from Our Flag': ]
[ 1) KEEP SCROLLING down this page and read it to yourself or perform it aloud for your school / classroom. If reading the page to a classroom, skip any text in [ brackets ].
2) LISTEN to the <5 minutes PODCAST as you or your classroom follow along viewing the page on a device or classroom projection
or, 3) WATCH the <5 minutes VIDEO of today's Reminders from Our Flag, by yourself or with your classrooom on a projector/flatscreen ]
[ Note: Flag Steward's 'Be a Stud Citizen' podcasts are available on nearly all podcast platforms. ]
[ Note: If you can't access or play videos from YouTube in your school, then GO / CLICK HERE to watch today's stories from Our Flag on Loom. ]
Where is Our Flag, the U.S. Flag, at half-staff today?
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[ CLICK HERE to see Half-Staff alert details, including pics of honorees ]
Today's Historical Moment from Our Flag
... recalls the Birmingham Campaign ...
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[ Birmingham's Walter Gadsden, a Parker HS student, is attacked by police dogs on May 3, 1963 = pic by Bill Hudson/AP - fair use distribution via Wikipedia ]
 On this date, May 3, in 1963, towards the end of the 5-week 'Birmingham Campaign' protesting racial segregation (forced separation), national attention came upon Birmingham, Alabama's shocking treatment of black Americans, especially African-American children / students marching peacefully through downtown.  City officials, namely Bull Connor, ordered fire fighters to disperse the protesting student marchers with blasts of firehose water set a pressure so high it could peel the bark off a tree.  The high-pressure water ripped clothes off students, pushed kids over the tops of cars, and rolled them down them down the sidewalks and streets.  And, whatever students couldn't be "persuaded" (forced) to stop protesting, then police dogs were set to attack them.
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[ High pressure fire hose water blasts student protesters on May 3, 1963 = pic by Charles Moore of Black Star - fair use distribution via Wikipedia ]
​The horrific scenes of student protesters being forcefully harmed by city workers made national news the next day and began calls for desegregation from citizens and government officials across the United States.  The jailing of 100s of adult and student citizens and the public injury to those who kept trying to protest, led to changes in Birmingham's leadership, catapulted America to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and elevated Martin Luther King's reputation.  The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), led by MLK Jr., knew if it antagonized Birmingham city leaders with peaceful, but confrontational protests, national attention would be attained and their pursuit for more liberties in Birmingham and across the south for black Americans could be fulfilled.  And, it worked, despite the controversy of the SCLC recruiting students to be part of the protests and shock to the media and America.
​​Today's Inspirational Quote from Our Flag

"We're going to walk, walk, walk. 
Freedom ... freedom ... freedom ..."


- Chanted by a thousand students leaving the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham to protest racial discrimination
(then the police warned them to turn
back "or, you'll get wet.)


"Don't worry about your children who are in jail.
The eyes of the world are on Birmingham.
We're going on in spite of dogs and fire hoses.
We've gone too far to turn back now.
"

- Martin Luther King, Jr. addressing parents and students after the May 3, 1963 protest attacks and injuries
 
[ Public domain image of SCLC's HQ in Birmingham - the 16th Street Baptist Church ]
Today's Challenge from Our Flag
... is an invitation to witness the story of the children of Birmingham protesting for desegregation (to end the racial separation and unfair treatment of black Americans) in their city ...
And, now it's time to ...
Recite the Pledge of Allegiance
Students across America, at school or at home, inspired by the students of Birmingham who, led by MLK Jr., protested and won civil liberties for their community, please unite and recite the Pledge.
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​​Thanks for participating in today's U.S. Flag tribute.
This is Sean Sweeney, a fellow Flag Steward, signing-off:

Go out and 'Be a Stud Citizen' today
Keep America Beautiful, and remember,
In God We Trust
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​In God We Trust
(Official motto of the United States of America)
​###################​
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​Flag Steward (formerly known as Beacon of Honor and originally incorporated as GivingVu.org, Inc. in 2013) is a nonpartisan, student-inspired, Veteran-led 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit organization based in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.  Tax ID# 46-2457373
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