Ballad of Birmingham - Dudley Randall

The 1960 were a struggle for civil rights and establishment of equality for all races. Led by influential activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. This piece of marvelously crafted poetic beauty was written in response to a real event, the bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. The bombing was in response to the increasingly violent nature of these demonstrations. In a time when many advocated for a peaceful solution to these injustices, police brutality and racism sought to expand white domination otherwise. This poem details the social struggles of the individuals who have been oppressed by the institutions and police in which they are a part of.  The purpose of Dudley Randall's poem, Ballad of Birmingham, is to highlight and bring attention to the horrific struggles for basic human rights. Dudley also seeks to shed light on the fracturing of African-American families and the role of youth in the struggle for equality. Perhaps the most significant thing about this piece is the point of view it takes.

            Birmingham, Alabama was the focal point of race relations during the 1960’s, whether it be Martin Luther’s imprisonment, or other race riots, the events in Birmingham led the resistance to racial injustice. This poem is perhaps the epitome of the struggles against these injustices. It depicts a conversation between a mother and her child, where the child wishes to go and fight for basic human dignity and rights, but the mother warns of the danger. This highlights the fracturing of families during the time of the race riots and revolts and how the police brutality tore apart these families. For example in line 25, it is evident that the mother loses her child when Randall writes, “For when she heard the explosion, Her eyes grew wet and wild. She raced through the streets of Birmingham Calling for her child” (Randall, 25). The struggle against these racial injustices sheds light on race relations and how black families were disproportionately affected by these struggles. The fact that the black woman loses her child while fighting for equality shows the stark contrast between the two societies [white and black] during this period.

            Perhaps, the more significant element of this poem is the point of view taken. The poem establishes the setting of a home where it depicts an otherwise normal conversation between a black mother and child. This view on race riots and struggles sought to bring light to the different side of race relations. Regardless of what was portrayed in the media, the struggles of those individuals who were most affected were whitewashed and thrown out the window. Randall seeks to bring these people into the light and highlight their struggles as possibly the most significant as they were the most affected by these tragedies. This is shown by the unbiased yet ‘real’ viewpoint taken of a fictional story coinciding with a historical event. Randall sheds light onto the struggles of the black body and rather than homogenizing them, seeks to emphasize the importance of their individual actions and bring brutality and inequality, as experienced by these individuals, to the forefront of the discussion.