Back in august 2013 a national design competition honoring the Birmingham Alabama Civil Rights Campaign had sought to find an winning proposal for “a Monument to Foot Soldiers”. Among many others submissions, Ian Smith Design Group submitted an entry with the intent to inspire visitors to stand shoulder to shoulder with the memories of those who greatly sacrificed 50 years prior. Is-dg states that, “A monument celebrating the foot soldiers reminds us of the sacrifices that citizens should be prepared to make to safeguard liberties and elevate the nation. Shoulder to Shoulder memorializes those who stood firm in the face of inequity and danger in Birmingham around the events of 1963.”