Examine the actions of the Civil Rights Movement in 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, in this clip from The March. The nonviolent Birmingham protests leading up to the March on Washington were orchestrated by Martin Luther King Jr. in direct opposition to the local authorities often extreme anti-protest tactics. Despite these efforts by staunch segregationists like Birmingham Commissioner of Public Safety Eugene “Bull” Connor, the protests were able to continue due to the timely aid of young civil rights activists.