 Birmingham , Alabama was , in 1963 , " probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States . " Although the city 's population of almost 350 @,@ 000 was 60 % white and 40 % black , Birmingham had no black police officers , firefighters , sales clerks in department stores , bus drivers , bank tellers , or store cashiers . Black secretaries could not work for white professionals . Jobs available to blacks were limited to manual labor in Birmingham 's steel mills , work in household service and yard maintenance , or work in black neighborhoods . When layoffs were necessary , black employees were often the first to go . The unemployment rate for blacks was two and a half times higher than for whites . The average income for blacks in the city was less than half that of whites . Significantly lower pay scales for black workers at the local steel mills were common . Racial segregation of public and commercial facilities throughout Jefferson County was legally required , covered all aspects of life , and was rigidly enforced . Only 10 percent of the city 's black population was registered to vote in 1960 . 
