Phillips High School

Built in 1923 at 2316 7th Ave N, Phillips High School stood as Birmingham's flagship school and was named for John Herbert Phillips, the city's first school superintendent, who served from 1883 until his death in 1921. It gained national recognition in 1957, three years after the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregated schools unconstitutional, when Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth and other Black parents attempted to enroll their children there. On September 9, 1957, when he went to register them, a mob viciously beat him and stabbed his wife, Ruby, in the hip, while their daughter, Ruby Fredricka, suffered a sprained ankle during the incident. Despite the violence against him and his family, Rev. Shuttlesworth attended a rally later that night and urged supporters not to react with violence. The school admitted its first African American students in 1964. Today, Phillips Academy is a pre-kindergarten through 8th grade school focused on academic excellence for its students.

Birmingham, Alabama · United States