Stayed On Freedom

Episode: 20: "Beginning Again..." | Stayed on Freedom Podcast

In this episode, we visit Brown Chapel AME Church, a historic cornerstone of the Civil Rights Movement, as it reopens its sanctuary after being closed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Once a central gathering place for organizers during the Selma voting rights campaigns, the church now stands in a new chapter — one of restoration and renewal.We explore the progress made in rebuilding the sanctuary, reflecting on the church’s enduring legacy while celebrating the community’s commitment to preserving it for future generations. Through this moment of reopening, the episode highlights both how far the restoration has come and what still remains to be done, inviting support to help bring the project to full completion. It’s a story of resilience, history, and the ongoing effort to protect a sacred space that has long been a beacon for justice.

Stayed on Freedom Podcast Best Moments of 2025!

The Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium “Stayed On Freedom” podcast engages foot soldiers, leaders, scholars and ‘extraordinary ordinary’ people who are “stayed on freedom.” We remember to remember how the history and continuing legacy of the Black freedom movement and our Civil Rights Heritage Sites have transformed communities and changed the world!The views and opinions expressed are those of the podcast hosts, guests and participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium.Donate to the Consortium⁠ ⁠⁠https://aaacrhsc.org/donate/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbFBoNjFXOThaRlh2dXVZU1JhSnVENkZVUEVfQXxBQ3Jtc0trbmVvcGd6cHg5RHpYNEtrV0RWQk45TEUxcUIyS2ExemdkS1d3OUFRVHpPOGRYYW9aQkprZ3pEeENiS3FwLW1qemE3R1BXb3hJZlcwWDZwRGh3bUFOOFhOc0Znb1VXUUhmVFVsV0l4ajh0c2xwZDFJSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Faaacrhsc.org%2Fdonate%2F&v=qzLNXMUMMgA]Explore the podcast

Episode 18: "Sitting Down and Standing Up"

This episode tells the powerful story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the year-long protest that began in Montgomery, Alabama after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated city bus in December 1955. What started as a one-day boycott organized by local activists quickly grew into a sustained movement, with thousands of Black residents walking, carpooling, and organizing alternative transportation rather than riding the segregated buses. Under the leadership of a young Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery Improvement Association, the boycott endured for 381 days, facing intimidation, violence, and economic pressure — all while maintaining nonviolent discipline. The episode explores how this grassroots protest culminated in a federal court and Supreme Court decision that struck down segregation on public buses and helped launch King’s national leadership within the Civil Rights Movement.Made possible with the support of the 1772 Foundation.The Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium “Stayed On Freedom” podcast engages foot soldiers, leaders, scholars and ‘extraordinary ordinary’ people who are “stayed on freedom.” We remember to remember how the history and continuing legacy of the Black freedom movement and our Civil Rights Heritage Sites have transformed communities and changed the world!The views and opinions expressed are those of the podcast hosts, guests and participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium.GIVE TODAY!⁠https://secure.qgiv.com/for/aaacrhsc/

Episode 17: What's Louder Than A Bomb?

In this episode, we sit down with Mick Petts, son of Welsh stained-glass artist John Petts, to explore the story and significance of the Wales Window at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. The conversation takes us through how the 1963 bombing of the church, which killed four young girls, spurred a global response — particularly from Wales — and how John Petts designed the window as both a tribute and a gesture of solidarity. We dig into the window’s symbolic imagery (a Black Christ figure, arms outstretched, pushing away hatred while offering compassion) and hear from Mick about the artistic process, his father’s intentions, and the legacy the window carries in the ongoing struggle for racial justice. Made possible with the support of the 1772 Foundation.The Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium “Stayed On Freedom” podcast engages foot soldiers, leaders, scholars and ‘extraordinary ordinary’ people who are “stayed on freedom.” We remember to remember how the history and continuing legacy of the Black freedom movement and our Civil Rights Heritage Sites have transformed communities and changed the world!The views and opinions expressed are those of the podcast hosts, guests and participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium.GIVE TODAY!⁠https://secure.qgiv.com/for/aaacrhsc/Explore the podcast

Episode 16: "The Power and The Peril of a Mass Meeting"

This episode of Stayed On Freedom recounts the tragic stampede at Greater Shiloh Baptist Church in Birmingham in 1902, when a mass meeting turned deadly. It explores how the gathering, meant to be a moment of collective power and unity, descended into chaos, leading to panic and loss of life. The episode reflects on both the power of mass meetings in shaping movements and the peril they carried, especially in a segregated South where large gatherings of Black people were seen as both inspiring and threatening.