At 10:22, it exploded. Gov. ", 16th Street Baptist pastor John Cross said the bomber "did not only bomb the 16th Street Baptist Church, did not only kill these lovely, innocent girls, but somehow the world was shaken. Nearby buildings are left without glass in windows. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? It didnt matter what race they were. The preacher had prepared a sermon especially for the children. Another 22 people were injured in. 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. Try again later. Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA. That spring, their own church had been the center of a campaign against segregation. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, both 14, had been chosen to serve as ushers. For a few minutes, there was only screaming and chaos. A 73-year-old Klansman named Robert Chambliss was charged with first-degree murder, and the jury found him guilty. "Violence is not in our plans," the Rev. Four girls, Addie Mae Collins (age 14), Denise McNair (age 11), Carole Robertson (age 14), and Cynthia Wesley (age 14), were killed in the bomb blast. The murders sparked nationwide outrage and energized the civil rights movement. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Verify and try again. The Federal garrison inside Harpers Ferry was vulnerable to a Confederate attack read more, On September 15, 1935, German Jews are stripped of their citizenship, reducing them to mere subjects of the state. Birmingham "is synonymous to barbarism" and "needs to be protected against itself," said New York City Mayor Robert Wagner. Addie Mae Collins' younger sister, Sarah, had been with the four girls when the bomb exploded, but survived the attack as did the other 22 children in the basement. All rights reserved. Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, both 14, had been chosen to serve as ushers. Khrushchev came to power in the Soviet Union read more, Confederate General Thomas Stonewall Jackson captures Harpers Ferry, Virginia (present-day West Virginia), and some 12,000 Union soldiers as General Robert E. Lees army moves north into Maryland. The tragedy sparked a surge of support for federal civil rights legislation, and it led to an intensive voting rights campaign in Selma, Alabama. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. (Tom Self/ Birmingham News), Original caption: Destruction is seen in the immediate aftermath of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963. She was a member of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham which was, due to the spacious basement auditorium, the center for meetings of the civil rights movement. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Before this day was over, the whole world would mourn. Children are little people, little human beings, and that means white people. In 1963, when Addie Mae Collins died, it was still relatively common in the South to harvest bodies from cemeteries and the cemeteries chosen were usually the ones that served the black. Another two suspects were charged and convicted in 2001 and 2002, a fourth suspect died before charges were brought. First off, Medical Apartheid is a must-read, detailing the disturbing history of how medical science has used black Americans, living and dead, as part of experimentation and training. The innocent blood of these little girls may well serve as the redemptive force that will bring new light to this dark city. 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. Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. A system error has occurred. Original caption: NEWS FILE/TOM SELF A stained glass window bears testament to a bomb's damage; Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, September 15, 1963. The Sixteenth Street bombing, perhaps more than any other event of the period, brought national attention to the evil of racism. 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. The FBI immediately investigated the bombing, and discovered it was planned by Klansmen in response to the new school desegregation order. Denise McNair, 11, staged plays, dance routines and poetry readings in her familys carport to raise money for muscular dystrophy research. One. program cemeteries found in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. Please enter your email and password to sign in. And we must hold our leaders accountable for their words because those words inspire others to act, sometimes with deadly consequences. 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. Janie Gaines and Sarah Cox know from experience that black cadavers tend to disappear. 0 cemeteries found in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. Two other suspects were tried and convicted in this case since this book's 1989 publication: Thomas Blanton in 2001 and Bobby Frank Cherry in 2002. Now he spoke quietly to a crowd of 8,000 at a joint funeral for three of the bomb victims. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Whether you need a laptop for READ THE REST. Her family says someone is responsible for the disappearance of her remains. Or, continue scrolling for the photos of the historic event. More than 20 other members of the congregation were injured in the blast. Maxine and Chris McNair hold a picture of their daughter, Denise, the day after she was killed in the bombing. On the morning of Sunday, September 15, 1963, 14-year-old Collins was in the church basement room with a group of other children. In the rubble of the 16th Street Baptist Church were the bodies of Addie Mae Collins, 14, Denise McNair, 11, Carole Robertson, 14, and Cynthia Wesley, 14. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, & Cynthia Wesley, Includes text, author, text categories, vocabulary terms, text dependent questions with answers, Includes text, author, vocabulary terms, text dependent questions. Herman Frank Cash, a fourth suspect, died in 1994 before ever being tried. 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 1963. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. I happened to stumble across this story last week, while reading Harriet Washington's book, Medical Apartheid. In September 1963 when legal segregation was dying white supremacists responded with violence to Americas reckoning on racial injustice. It wasn't until 1977 that anyone was charged, at which time a Klan leader was convicted for the murders. She married James Bartlett Stuart on 23 June 1905, in Grayson, Texas . Learn more about managing a memorial . And this isn't just an old story from Victorian times. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. 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. This account has been disabled. 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. Three men were convicted of murdering Addie Mae Collins long after her death, in trials held between 1977 and 2002. 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. Our forum rules are detailed in the Community Guidelines. The man at right is unidentified. Following his victory, Ali retired from boxing, only to make a read more. He means they may not have physically planted the bomb, but by contributing in other small or large ways to the racist and hatred-filled climate in that city, they, too, should be considered guilty for harming those girls. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Noting that no timing device was found, he disputed the . Thirty-five years ago a bomb killed four little girls in a Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Robert Chambliss, a member of a Ku Klux Klan group that was seen placing the dynamite under the church steps, was arrested in 1963, but tried only for illegal possession of explosives. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were then interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. Today, we have a president who doesnt bother to disguise his embrace of white nationalists. On Sept. 15, 1963, she and three other girls were killed by Ku Klux Klan members who planted. As Birmingham took on the appearance of a battle zone, with hundreds of police, troopers and guardsmen patrolling the streets, another black teen, Johnny Robinson, was shot to death by police. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Steve Chiotakis (Chee-uh-TAKE-iss) reports from member station W-B-H-M. "It was just a matter of time," said Pastor John H. Cross of the bombing. Martin Luther King Jr. said he hoped the deaths "may well serve as the redemptive force that brings light to this dark city.". 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. There is a problem with your email/password. Three men responsible for Collins' murder were brought to justice between 1977 and 2002. Year should not be greater than current year. A former Ku Klux Klansman, Thomas Blanton Jr., 62,. That morning twenty-six children were in the church's basement assembly room preparing for the service when the bomb exploded. Another 22 people were injured in the explosion. Addie Mae Collins was one of the four Black girls, murdered in a racially motivated terrorist attack perpetrated by members. Her body was not in the spot where it was presumed to be. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Addie Mae Collins, Birth Year: 1949, Birth date: April 18, 1949, Birth State: Alabama, Birth City: Birmingham, Birth Country: United States. Try again. "Such heinous acts have added to the already heavy burden of fighting for the right of people to govern themselves," the statement read. In January 1998, the sisters frowned as they surveyed the crumbling headstones, trash, and tangled weeds strangling Greenwood, the Birmingham, Alabama, cemetery in which their family had long ago laid their sister, Addie Mae Collins. Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders used as a meeting place, training ground and rallying point for the Birmingham Childrens Crusade and other direct actions for civil rights. Saturday was the 55th anniversary of the bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Soon afterward, the read more, Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet head of state to visit the United States. Please try again later. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. An anti-integration demonstration planned in Midfield for that night was cancelled, but not before someone hanged President Kennedy in effigy before a cheering crowd. When they tried exhume her body, somebody else was buried beneath her headstone. There was a problem getting your location. The Klansmen who planted the bomb wanted to terrorize the Black community when they targeted the church the Rev. She was the first adopted daughter of Claude and Gertrude Wesley, both of whom were teachers. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, a major event in the history of civil rights in the United States. Her family says someone is. Download the official NPS app before your next visit. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were then interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. There was a problem getting your location. The whole church shook. Boing Boing is published under a Creative Commons Try again later. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Search above to list available cemeteries. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Wallace and Birmingham, meanwhile, faced growing criticism nationwide. Two other perpetratorsThomas Blanton Jr. and Bobby Frank Cherrywere convicted in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Collins was killed in the blast along with Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, both 14. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Sarah Collins Rudolph was in the bathroom with her sister Addie Mae Collins during Sunday School when a bomb exploded in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. The bomb detonated at 10:19 a.m., killing Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Addie Mae Collinsall 14 years oldand 11-year-old Denise McNair. Farrell Griswold, pastor of Minor Heights Baptist, told the crowd. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. The girls had been dressed in their Sunday best, ready to sing and act as ushers at the adult service, and only a few minutes before the explosion they had been together in the basement women's room, talking about the new school year. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Addie Mae was buried at Birmingham's Greenwood Cemetery. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Photo by AP Images. He attended college at Yale University, graduating second in his class. The 16th Street Church, frequently used as a meeting place for leaders including .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph D. Abernathy, was an obvious target for this activity. Highlighted vocabulary will appear in both printed versions. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Why did the author include the details about the girls chatting nervously, straightening their fancy white dresses and participating in the choir and as ushers? To this day, the location of Addie Mae's body remains a mystery. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Addie Mae Collins' younger sister, Sarah, was the last person to see the girls alive. Boing Boing uses cookies and analytics trackers, and is supported by advertising, merchandise After Hitlers accession to the offices of president and chancellor of Germany, he set about the task of remaking his adopted country (Hitler had to pull some read more. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Vernon Merritt photo, More than 1,600 people attended the memorial service for Carole Rosamond Robertson on Sept. 17, 1963. Addie Mae Collins was born on 18 April 1949 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Photo by Pictorial Parade/Getty Images. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. 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. You by your suffering have paid another installment in this great thing called freedom," said the Rev. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem.