Book excerpt: Thirteen-year-old Freida McCarter woke up on May 1, 1963, wanting nothing to do with the civil rights demonstrations being planned at the 16th Street Baptist Church. But unforeseen circumstances will lead to a change of heart, placing Freida directly in harm's way. The following day, while peacefully marching toward downtown, Freida and other students are viciously attacked by Birmingham cops and bloodthirsty police dogs. Firemen will unleash the full force of their high-pressure water hoses on those youth, including Freida, who sought refuge in Kelly Ingram Park. Hundreds of students will be rounded up, arrested and taken to jail. If Freida is going to overcome this crisis, she must summon the will to control her temper, the courage to overcome her fear and the resilience to face the consequences of her actions. Alan Marshall's Birmingham Children's March is a dramatization of the events in Birmingham, Alabama during the spring of 1963 when the peaceful marches led by school children rescued Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s faltering civil rights campaign and moved a reluctant President Kennedy to introduce a landmark civil rights bill to Congress. This interactive, mass meeting production featuring freedom songs, speeches, testimonies, and character-driven drama, all happening around the audience.