Terri Sewell commemorates the 60th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
Today is the 60th anniversary of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham that killed four little girls during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL07) spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to commemorate this tragic incident of domestic terrorism. “I rise today to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, and to honor the lives and legacies of Four Little Girls killed in such a heinous attack,” said Rep. Sewell. “60 years ago, as parishioners of the 16th Street Baptist Church prepared for Sunday service, 19 sticks of dynamite placed by Ku Klux Klan members exploded. As the interior of the walls of the church caved in, over 100 churchgoers rushed for safety. Though most of the congregation escaped, under the debris lay the bodies of Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Morris Wesley, as well as Sarah Collins Rudolph, who was injured but ultimately survived. “Tragically, the brutality did not stop after the bombing. When African American communities across the State of Alabama took to the streets to demand justice, they were met with unspeakable violence at the hands of law enforcement,” said Sewell. “Within a few hours, Johnny Robinson and Virgil Ware, ages 16 and 13, were killed in clashes between protesters and the police.” “Despite the horrific nature of this attack, it took over 34 years before the perpetrators faced justice,” Sewell continued. “In 2013, Mr. Speaker, I was honored that my very first bill I passed in this body awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor we can give, to the Four Little Girls posthumously to ensure that their lives were never forgotten.” “While we will never recover the lives lost or the injuries suffered, we know that their sacrifice was not in vain,” said Sewell. “Indeed, the loss of the Four Little Girls changed America forever, bringing into clarity our nation’s storied history of racially motivated violence and galvanized the Civil Rights Movement. It was their memory that inspired generations of freedom fighters to build a world where the color of your skin does not determine the value of your life. It was their memory that burned in the minds of the Foot Soldiers as they fought to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. And it was their sacrifice that brought our nation closer to realizing its highest ideals of equality and justice for all.” “Without the influence of the Four Little Girls, I not only question where America would be, but where I would be,” Sewell added. “60 years after their passing, I get to walk the halls of Congress as Alabama’s first Black Congresswoman. I do so because of their sacrifice and because they cannot. Their premature and senseless death serves as a constant reminder that every battle, every gain in the fight for civil rights has come at a high cost, paid for by the sacrifice of others.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described the bombing as one of the most vicious, tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity, The story of the 4 Little Girls was made into a Spike Lee documentary in 1997 by the same name. Terri Sewell represents Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Terri Sewell commemorates the 59th Anniversary of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church
Thursday was the 59th anniversary of the bombing of the 16 Street Baptist Church in Birmingham that killed four little girls during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Congresswoman Terri Sewell spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to commemorate this tragic incident of domestic terrorism. On September 15, 1963, white supremacists detonated nineteen sticks of dynamite under the church, killing Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Morris Wesley. “Four precious Little Girls—Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Morris Wesley—who died in the sacred walls of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama fifty-nine years ago,” Sewell said. “On September 15, 1963, as the Four Little Girls were getting dressed in the bathroom of the church basement, preparing to sing in the choir, nineteen sticks of dynamite placed under the church detonated. They totally exploded, causing the interior walls to actually fall in.” “The crowd of about 200 people who gathered for the 11:00 a.m. service, they evacuated the church,” Sewell continued. “But the church was filled with smoke, and underneath the debris laid Four Little Girls. Along with the little girls who lost their lives, dozens of others were injured that day, including Sarah Collins Rudolph, the younger sister of Addie Mae Collins, who was in the basement with her sister and the other girls preparing for church that day.” The senseless violence led to more protest marches and eventually the passage of civil rights legislation. “Due to the violently racist nature of the attack, thousands of African Americans protested across the State of Alabama, and in response, George Wallace called the police to break up the demonstrations,” Sewell said. “The violent clashes between the protesters and police resulted in massive arrests and the tragic loss of two more lives, two little boys that died that day, Johnny Robinson and Virgil Ware. The two boys, one sixteen and the other thirteen, were killed within hours of the church bombing.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described the bombing as one of the most vicious, tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity, “Although we will never replace the lives lost or injuries suffered, the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 proved that their sacrifices were not in vain,” Sewell said. “Today, as we reflect on our painful history, we are reminded that every gain in the battle for Civil Rights has come at a high cost, paid by those who sacrificed everything for a vision and a dream bigger than themselves.” “As a direct beneficiary of the legacy of the Four Little Girls, I was honored that the very first bill that I passed in this body posthumously bestowed upon them the Congressional Gold Medal to ensure that this nation will never forget their sacrifice,” Sewell said. The story of the 4 Little Girls was made into a Spike Lee documentary in 1997 by the same name. Terri Sewell represents Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
