Forged by Fire.
Guided by Faith.

Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was raised in the crucible of segregated Birmingham, but he was forged by its attempt to kill him. In December, a new documentary explores the life and legacy of an unrelenting freedom fighter who inspired liberation movements all over the world.

A film produced by

J. Whitson and T. Marie King

WATCH ALABAMA PUBLIC TELEVISION DOCUMENTARIES HERE

Premiered Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 8:00pm

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth, Alabama Public Television presents an original documentary about Birmingham civil rights leader and icon, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. Featuring exclusive interviews with Rev. Shuttlesworth, family members and colleagues, the film examines Shuttlesworth’s crucial contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, which, in turn, helped define the national consciousness during the mid to late 20th century and first quarter of the 21st and amplify the integral role that Birmingham played as the catalyst in propelling the movement onto the national stage.

Beginning with his segregated childhood in the Oxmoor Valley, SHUTTLESWORTH follows the reverend’s life through Bethel Baptist Church, the Birmingham Campaign, and the reactionary violence unleashed by the white power structure of the city. Through this lens, SHUTTLESWORTH examines the City of Birmingham, its unique history and culture, and how the city became the symbol for social justice and the American Civil Rights Movement.

SHUTTLESWORTH features interviews with a wide range of authors, experts, family members and community and political leaders including Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and former Birmingham mayor Richard Arrington, Jr., Dr. Martha Bouyer, Judge U.W. Clemon, Dr. Robert Corley, Dr. Andrew M. Manis, Fred Shuttlesworth, Jr., Ruby Shuttlesworth Bester, Patricia Shuttlesworth Massengill, Dr. Carolyn Shuttlesworth, Carolyn McKinstry, Dr. Sephira Bailey Shuttlesworth, Rev. Carter Gaston, Diane McWhorter, Janice Kelsey, Jefferson Drew, Shelley Stewart, Bishop Calvin Woods, and Odessa Woolfolk.

Made possible through the generous support of:

Alabama Humanities Alliance

Alabama Power Foundation

Medical Properties Trust

The Comer Foundation

Robert R. Meyer Foundation

Mike & Gillian Goodrich Foundation

Alabama Civil Rights Trail

Produced in partnership with:

Alabama Department of Archives and History

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

City of Birmingham

Historic Bethel Baptist Church