Remembering the work Birmingham Black radio personalities contributed to the Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement is widely known for people like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, and so many more.
However, for those who lived in Birmingham during that time may remember the different voices on the radio that played a part in getting equal rights for Black people.
Shelley Stewart, Paul "Tall Paul" White, and Erskin Faush are some of the names who took the airwaves of Birmingham to help make a difference.
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Stewart is one of those legends whose audience transcended color. The 90-year-old says being a radio personality during a turbulent time in the magic city wasn't always pleasant. He was met with hate from the Ku Klux Klan, city leaders, and staunch segregationists.
Radio personalities during that time were often considered celebrities during that time. They were known to entertain and inform.
Ron January is the operations manager at V94.9 WATV, he says growing up, listening to the disc jockeys was always a thrill.
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"I had a chance to work with all my idols in radio, the people I grew up listening to," January said.
He started his Birmingham radio career in 1975. However, he recalls DJs using certain songs and messages on the air to let people know where to be, or to move, or what would be happening.
There's history to remember about a group of people who may have been forgotten about at times.
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Bob Friedman is the founder of the . This spring, they will open a physical location at the Carver Theater. Currently, it is an online space that showcases a collection of oral history, airchecks, and pictures of those trailblazing personalities.
Friedman, a broadcaster himself, came to Birmingham in the late 80s, he says he quickly learned of the legends who took to the airwaves in the magic city. From there, he knew as much of it had to be documented as possible.