Fred Shuttlesworth Character Analysis in Why We Can’t Wait

Fred Shuttlesworth was an important leader of the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. As a Christian minister and the leader of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, Shuttlesworth worked alongside Dr. King to mount the campaign for desegregation and racial equality that took place in Birmingham in 1963. Shuttlesworth had been challenging segregation in Birmingham since 1956, working against the city’s racist Commissioner of Public Safety, Bull Connor, and even staging a large boycott of white businesses in 1962—a precursor to the work he would do with Dr. King the following year.

Fred Shuttlesworth Character Timeline in Why We Can’t Wait

The timeline below shows where the character Fred Shuttlesworth appears in Why We Can’t Wait. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...these was the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACHR), which was led by Fred Shuttlesworth in Birmingham. Shuttlesworth’s goal was to address inequality in Birmingham and to put an end... (full context)

Dr. King and the SCLC decided in 1962 to help Fred Shuttlesworth and the ACHR. Shuttlesworth had staged an effective boycott of white-owned Birmingham businesses and managed... (full context)

In the meantime, Dr. King went to New York City with Shuttlesworth. They knew they would need support once the direct-action campaign began in Birmingham, so they... (full context)

Dr. King, Shuttlesworth, and Abernathy made it very clear to volunteers that they were only welcome in the... (full context)

...by throwing things at the police officers. When officers opened a pressure hose on demonstrators, Shuttlesworth was flung against a building and escorted in an ambulance to the hospital. After hearing... (full context)