Photo by AP Images. In 1997 a documentary film on the bombing called "4 Little Girls" was released. Vernon Merritt photo, More than 1,600 people attended the memorial service for Carole Rosamond Robertson on Sept. 17, 1963. The whole world had watched in awe as the children in Birmingham made history. At left is Clara Pippen, mother of the two women. "Darkness will not last forever. All Rights Reserved. A stretcher waits to carry away any more victims found. The innocent blood of these little girls may well serve as the redemptive force that will bring new light to this dark city. Only a few feet away, beneath a stone staircase along the outside wall of the church, a dynamite bomb had been planted eight hours earlier. Martin Luther King Jr. had delivered his I Have a Dream speech to the largest civil rights march in history only 18 days earlier. Three men responsible for Collins' murder were brought to justice between 1977 and 2002. Children are little people, little human beings, and that means white people. Those disparities stem from laws that allow for medical schools to take possession of bodies of the homeless (who are more likely to be black than white) and "presumed consent" laws, which allow hospitals and coroners to assume that a dead person would want to donate their body parts. It's a story that goes from colonial times all the way up to the present. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. During the next two weeks, Khrushchevs visit dominated the news and provided some dramatic and humorous moments in the history of the Cold War. Birmingham "is synonymous to barbarism" and "needs to be protected against itself," said New York City Mayor Robert Wagner. Cynthia Wesley was raised by a single mother but stayed with her adoptive parents so she could attend a better school, where she excelled in math, reading and band. Addie Mae was helping Denise tie the sash on her dress. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Martin Luther King Jr. said he hoped the deaths "may well serve as the redemptive force that brings light to this dark city.". Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Sorry! Theyre just little niggers and if theres four less niggers tonight, then I say, Good for whoever planted the bomb!. She was the first adopted daughter of Claude and Gertrude Wesley, both of whom were teachers. She was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Birmingham, but her body has been. Addie Mae Collins, 14, and Denise McNair, 11, were in the choir. Browse 63 addie mae collins stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. A day after the tragedy, President Kennedy spoke of his "outrage" and "grief" at the Birmingham church bombing. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Marchers at a civil rights demonstration in Washington, D.C.,on Sept. 22, 1963, hold posters reading No More Birminghams, in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Wallace and his advisers have been sowing the seeds of this disaster," the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law stated. program Original caption: Juanita Jones, center, comforts her sister, Maxine McNair, whose daughter Denise McNair died earlier that day in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing. Fred Shuttlesworth officiated instead. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. It didnt matter what race they were. Carole Robertson was a good student who loved reading and dancing. Original caption: NEWS FILE/TOM SELF A stained glass window bears testament to a bomb's damage; Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, September 15, 1963. Please try again later. Fred Shuttlesworth. To use this feature, use a newer browser. That spring, their own church had been the center of a campaign against segregation. Learn more about managing a memorial . The Collins family appears in the 1997 Spike Lee film 4 Little Girls, a documentary on the bombing and its political significance. On Sunday morning, September 15, 1963, several members of the KKK tunneled under the church and planted 122 sticks of dynamite near what was the girls' basement rest room. I had no idea how leafcutter ants did their job, but this "Ant Lab" clip (below) explains it well in just 41 seconds, and the close-up photography is outstanding. Fear and resentment of our nations growing diversity are at the heart of the hate that has been swelling across America for years. Plaster and debris fell around the people in Sunday School upstairs. This is a carousel with slides. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Try again later. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Year should not be greater than current year. She attended the 16th Street Baptist Church with her parents, Julius and Alice, as well as her six siblings. By read more, On September 15, 1978, boxer Muhammad Ali defeats Leon Spinks at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans to win the world heavyweight boxing title for the third time in his career, the first fighter ever to do so. When the debris was searched for survivors, the bodies of four young girls were found; Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Carole Robertson. As part of the movement, African American churches served as its spiritual backbone and were used as meeting places for the black community. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. The notion that they were wearing fancy dresses highlights the idea that the service was important and something they dressed up for. The five girls were gathered in a downstairs washroom at Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church on the morning of Sept. 15, 1963, when a timed bomb planted by KKK members went off outside under . Soon afterward, the read more, Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet head of state to visit the United States. All rights reserved (About Us). Windows were blown out of nearby businesses as was a stained glass window at the church depicting Christ leading children. She also played baseball and was a member of the Brownies. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. No one else has ever been tried for the Sixteenth Street bombing. The service honoring Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley and two young boys killed shortly after the bombing, Johnny Robinson Jr. and Virgil Ware, recognized Birmingham as the center of the Civil Rights movement and emphasized that the march to justice and equality of all people is not over. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Four girlsAddie Mae Collins (age 14, born April 18, 1949), Carol Denise McNair (age 11, born November 17, 1951), Carole Rosamond Robertson (age 14, born April 24, 1949), and Cynthia Dionne Wesley (age 14, born April 30, 1949)were killed in the attack. Now, as our nation confronts multiple assaults on democratic values, we hold firm in the fight to protectand to expanddemocracy through social justice education. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. The youth choir would lead the congregation in music, and children would serve as ushers. September 15, 1963 was remembered as a day of victory for the Klan. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. A project of the Southern Poverty Law Center1991-2023. She befriended Condoleezza Rice, a fellow elementary school student who later became U.S. secretary of state. Indeed, this tragic event may cause the white South to come to terms with its conscience.. The bomb went off on a Sunday morning, killing Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley, all 14. . Service, a Creative Commons Service. As director of theCivil Rights Memorial Center, also operated by the SPLC, I honor the girls spirits every day by making sure that the world never forgets their names names that should be remembered just like those of other unarmed Black people who have been killed recently, includingGeorge Floyd,Breonna Taylor,Tony McDade,Sean Reed,Yassin Mohamed,Ahmaud Arbery,Rayshard Brooksand too many more. Fred Shuttlesworth, left, and Ralph Abernathy as they attend funeral services at the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church for three of the four Black girls killed in the church bombing. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Rev. At 10:19 AM the bomb exploded, blowing a hole in the east side of the church, shattering windows, walls, and doors and injuring or killing 24 people. cemeteries found in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. To counter this hate, we must all work vigilantly together against white supremacy to bring the hope, equity and inclusion that will lead to true justice for all. At about 10:22 AM, twenty-six children were entering the basement assembly room for closing prayers, five girls were apparently changing into their choir robes. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. For more on the ceremony, please visit this story. For more on the ceremony, please visit this story. From left to right: Denise McNair, 11; Carole Robertson, 14; Addie Mae Collins, 14; and Cynthia Wesley, 14. "We've been expecting this all along.". You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. Try again later. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. This year, relatives of Addie Mae Collins, one of the girls that was killed, wanted to move her body to another burial site and found that it wasn't there. The second sentence shows that the girls were involved in their church and contributing to this important service. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Addie Mae Collins (born April 18th, 1949 age 14) The daughter of Julius and Alice Collins, Addie was one of seven children and was described as a sweet girl who enjoyed attending church and . Three Ku Klux Klan members were later . sites. The murders touched off nationwide outrage. The Birmingham News reported it was the 41st bombing in the city in the past 16 years. When the debris was searched for survivors, the bodies of four young girls were found: ; Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Carole Robertson. The Rev. The SPLCidentifiedwhite nationalists and neo-Nazis at Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Knoxville, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; and Dallas just days after police killed George Floyd in Minneapolis. In the end, more than 20 people were hospitalized with injuries. (Tom Self/ Birmingham News), A newspaper clipping shows police officers in the immediate aftermath of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963. Select the Student Version to print the text and Text Dependent Questions only. Murder Victim. An eyewitness saw four white men plant the bomb. Your irresponsible and misguided actions have created in Birmingham and Alabama the atmosphere that has induced continued violence and now murder. A few days before the bombing, Wallace had said the nation needed a few first class funerals to resolve its race issues. After Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley reopened the case, Chambliss was convicted in 1977 and sentenced to life in prison. Members of the Ku Klux Klan planted a box of dynamite at the church, which was a major organizing center for the black community and civil rights protests. When the crew dug up the grave there was nothing in it. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Read the rules you agree to by using this website in our Terms Or, continue scrolling for the photos of the historic event. Denise McNair performed in plays, dance routines and poetry readings to raise money for muscular dystrophy research. When they tried exhume her body, somebody else was buried beneath her headstone. ). Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, both 14, had been chosen to serve as ushers. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. There was a problem getting your location. The bomb collapsed a basement wall, killing Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson - all 14 - and Denise McNair, 11, in a lounge they used for changing into their choir robes. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? The NAACP questioned the speed of the investigation and whether all resources available were being utilized. Just a few feet from her friends, 12-year-old Sarah was bloodied, but still standing, in a cloud of dust. Noting that no timing device was found, he disputed the . Learn more about managing a memorial . Oops, we were unable to send the email. Another 22 people were injured in the explosion. Please try again later. (Tom Self/ Birmingham News), Original caption: The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing kills four girls and also leaves a scene of devastation. "When they had exhumed her, the person in the casket had false teeth, dentures. Taft was born into a politically active family; his father had served as President Ulysses S. Grants secretary of war. Martin Luther King, Jr., eulogized her, and her tombstone bears the rousing inscription "She Died So Freedom Might Live.". We have set your language to After decades of neglect, the cemetery records were found to be incomplete and the location of the body had been lost. And this isn't just an old story from Victorian times. The federal Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, passed in 1968, effectively led to the end of grave robbing and the deliberate bias that went with it. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Here are photos from that day: Original caption: NEWS FILE/TOM SELF Firefighters sift through rubble and search for bodies in the basement of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church after a bomb killed four girls on Sunday, September 15, 1963. When the debris was searched for survivors, the bodies of four young girls were found; Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Carole Robertson. "Wow. At least one man who says he marched with the accused gunman before the shooting was immersed in white supremacist propaganda,an SPLC investigationhas found. Flying debris nearly demolishes vehicles and leaves cars dotted with large holes. of Her mother and her older sister Madge also made up read more, The famous picture of Marilyn Monroe, laughing as her skirt is blown up by the blast from a subway vent, is shot on September 15, 1954 during the filming of The Seven Year Itch. This year, relatives of Addie Mae Collins, one of the girls that was killed, wanted to move her body to another burial site and found that it wasn't there. Photo by Horace Cort/AP Images. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. I'm shot," he told his brother James with his dying breath. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. To honor the girls sacrifice and the powerful impact it had on the civil rights movement, their names were inscribed on the circular black granite table of theCivil Rights Memorialacross the street from the SPLCs headquarters in Montgomery. The day after the bombing, a white lawyer named Charles Morgan gave a speech in Birmingham. Maxine and Chris McNair hold a picture of their daughter, Denise, the day after she was killed in the bombing. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Cross said he believed the violence could have been prevented if civic leaders had spoken out forcefully against the bombings across Birmingham in recent years. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Addie Mae Collins was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 18, 1949. The 17-year-old charged in the incident, which also left a person wounded by an AR-15 assault-style rifle, has claimed self-defense. English He asked his audience: Who did it? and gave his own anguished answer: We all did it every person in this community who has in any way contributed to the popularity of hatred is at least as guilty as the demented fool who threw that bomb.. The song "Birmingham Sunday," recorded by Joan Baez memorialized the victims of the bombing. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Addie Mae Collins' younger sister, Sarah, was the last person to see the girls alive. They had come together as a group in several stages over the previous four years, changing their name in read more, The Battle of Britain reaches its climax when the Royal Air Force (RAF) downs 56 invading German aircraft in two dogfights lasting less than an hour. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. On September 15, 1963, Collins and three other African-American girls were killed in a terrorist attack perpetrated by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Both READ THE REST, In this video, Atlas Obscura digs out an ancient, giant fish from the archives of the Wet Specimen Collection at Chicago's Field Museum.
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