Birminghams heroic children

Review

“Mighty Times: The Children’s March,” co-produced by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Home Box Office, has received an Academy Award nomination in the Best Documentary Short Subject category.

It joins four other SPLC films that have been nominated, including “A Time for Justice,” which won the Oscar in 1995.

Made by Tell the Truth Pictures, “The Children’s March” tells the story of how the young people of Birmingham, Ala., braved fire hoses and police dogs to help end segregation in 1963.

“The real heroes of the film are the children of Birmingham,” said Jennifer Holladay, director of tolerance education programs at the SPLC. “We hope to inspire new generations with the distribution of this film. It serves as a reminder of the power of youth to change the world, then and now.”

“The Children’s March” is among five films to be nominated in the Best Documentary Short Subject category. Joining it are: “Autism is a World,” “The Children of Leningradsky,” “Hardwood,” and “Sister Rose’s Passion.”

The SPLC’s Teaching Tolerance program has released “The Children’s March” as part of a new education kit, free to schools.

The kit includes the 40-minute documentary film, available in VHS or DVD format, with closed-captioning; and a teacher’s guide with nine standards-based lesson plans for social studies, language arts and music. It is designed for middle and upper grades.

— tolerance.org