Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. What isn't well known is the fact that one of those girls, Addie Mae Collins, may well have been a victim of racism after her death, thanks to a longstanding tradition where white medical schools raided black cemeteries for dissection cadavers. The deaths of the four girls followed by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy two months later gave birth to a tide of grief and anger--a surge of emotional momentum that galvanized the civil rights movement and ensured the passage of the1964 Civil Rights Act. Maxine and Chris McNair hold a picture of their daughter, Denise, the day after she was killed in the bombing. 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. Search above to list available cemeteries. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. 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. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Moments later, services were held at a nearby grave for Addie Mae Collins, another victim of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Oops, something didn't work. The Birmingham News. 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 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 community. A box of dynamite with a timer was placed under the front steps steps of the church, near the basement, and was set to go off during Sunday prayers. The16th Street Baptist Churchwas at the center of Birmingham's African American community, hosting mass meetings and serving as the staging area for multiple civil rights marches. 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. Her family says someone is responsible . 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. Martin Luther King Jr. had delivered his I Have a Dream speech to the largest civil rights march in history only 18 days earlier. In a few minutes, the worship service would begin. Failed to delete memorial. Another 22 people were injured in the explosion. A day after the tragedy, President Kennedy spoke of his "outrage" and "grief" at the Birmingham church bombing. A system error has occurred. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. The innocent blood of these little girls may well serve as the redemptive force that will bring new light to this dark city. The day after the bombing, a white lawyer named Charles Morgan gave a speech in Birmingham. Collins was killed in the blast along with Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, both 14. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Year should not be greater than current year. 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. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. In Birmingham, attorney Charles Morgan, Jr. spoke before the Birmingham Young Men's Business Club, identifying the people responsible for the attack. Addie Mae Collins was one of the four little girls murdered in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing back in 1963. The church bombing was the third in Birmingham in 11 days after a federal order came down to integrate Alabamas school system. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. This browser does not support getting your location. Civil Rights Figure. Weve updated the security on the site. Photo byThe Washington Post Photo/Hal Yeager/Getty Images. It's a story that goes from colonial times all the way up to the present. 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. There is a problem with your email/password. Accuracy and availability may vary. It wasn't until 1977 that anyone was charged, at which time a Klan leader was convicted for the murders. The lives of all four girls intertwined and tragically ended at 10:21 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963,when a bomb planted by Klansmen outside the ladies lounge at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham exploded, instantly killing them and injuring 20 others. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. Pictured here are Johnny Robinson (left), 16, and Virgil Ware, 13. Children are little people, little human beings, and that means white people. Boing Boing uses cookies and analytics trackers, and is supported by advertising, merchandise HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Condoleezza Rice,who would later become U.S. secretary of state,was among her elementary school friends. The murders touched off nationwide outrage. At 10:22, it exploded. George Wallacefor creating the toxic climate that led to the church bombing. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. She also played baseball and was a member of the Brownies. No one can know with certainty who took the body or why, but many are convinced that her body joined the untold thousands of anonymous black cadavers on anatomists' tables. There was a problem getting your location. There was an error deleting this problem. All Rights Reserved. Three Ku Klux Klan members were later . Her body was not in the spot where it was presumed to be. Denise McNair performed in plays, dance routines and poetry readings to raise money for muscular dystrophy research. Search above to list available cemeteries. Before this day was over, the whole world would mourn. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. In 1997 a documentary film on the bombing called "4 Little Girls" was released. Thanks for your help! Oops, we were unable to send the email. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Best Known For: Addie Mae Collins was a 14-year-old murder victim whose 1963 death focused public attention on racial violence in the South. Try again later. 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. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. The bombing that killed Collins and her friends was a racially motivated hate crime. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. A fourth suspect, Herman Frank Cash, died in 1994, before he could be charged. Who will be eaten first? The whole church shook. On May 22, 2002, Cherry was convicted and sentenced to life, bringing a long-awaited victory to the friends and families of the four young victims. Tragically, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, two men protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake were shot to death in late August by a gunman who joined with a contingent of militia to conduct armed patrols during the protests. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Please try again later. 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. Addie Mae's body, like so many buried in black cemeteries throughout the South, is missing. Our forum rules are detailed in the Community Guidelines. cemeteries found in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. The man at right is unidentified. 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. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. The Life Summary of Addie Mae. 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. Her family says someone is. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Addie Mae, 14, and Denise, 11, were preparing to sing in the church choir. She married James Bartlett Stuart on 23 June 1905, in Grayson, Texas . 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. Farrell Griswold, pastor of Minor Heights Baptist, told the crowd. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Another two suspects were charged and convicted in 2001 and 2002, a fourth suspect died before charges were brought. After Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley reopened the case, Chambliss was convicted in 1977 and sentenced to life in prison. The missing body of Addie Mae Collins, one of the four Birmingham girls. Addie Mae's sister) The Collins family appears in the 1997 Spike Lee film 4 Little Girls, a documentary on the bombing and its political significance. Sarah Collins, Addie Mae's sister, lost her right eye. 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. Sorry! The notion that they were wearing fancy dresses highlights the idea that the service was important and something they dressed up for. of Thirty-five years ago a bomb killed four little girls in a Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. Cynthia Wesley, 14, was born Cynthia Morris and raised by a single mother, but she spent weekdays with adoptive parents in Birminghamto attend a better school, where she excelled in math, reading and band. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. the 41st bombing in the city in the past 16 years, Virgil Ware, riding on the handlebars of a bicycle, outrage" and "grief" at the Birmingham church bombing, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. 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. Raised and educated at Ashfield, her parents comfortable home, Christie began making up stories as a child. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. In 1992, nearly 30 years after the bombing, the Collins family decided to move Addie Mae's remains to Elmwood Cemetery. A former Ku Klux Klansman, Thomas Blanton Jr., 62,. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Following his victory, Ali retired from boxing, only to make a read more. Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, both 14, had been chosen to serve as ushers. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Nearby buildings are left without glass in windows. Read the rules you agree to by using this website in our Terms SPLC is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization (EIN: 63-0598743), Local Policing and Immigration Enforcement, Request for Legal Assistance Economic Justice, plays, dance routines and poetry readings, good student who loved reading and dancing. 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. Carole Robertson, 14, was a high-achieving student who played the clarinet, sang in elementary school choirs and was a member of her high schools marching band. Failed to remove flower. Weve updated the security on the site. A youth center dedicated to her was established in Birmingham. Try again. 31 October 1884-1 October 1953 (Age 68) Texas, United States. There had been many bombings in Birmingham designed to stop the black struggle for equality. Civil rights leaders tried to channel the grief and rage that spread through the black community, but there was little comfort in their efforts. Because of this, they were a major target for segregationist attacks. Whether you need a laptop for READ THE REST. Now lunch counters were no longer closed to blacks, and a federal court had just ordered white schools in the city to admit black children. With the force of 19 pieces of dynamite hidden under the stairs, the blast from the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham left a large crater at the base of the church and blew out the windows of the building on the other side of the street. This photo shows President Kennedy's visit to Redstone Arsenal on Sept. 11, 1962. In October 1963, Chambliss was cleared of the murder charge and received a six-month jail sentence and a $100 fine for the dynamite. Then, 14 years later, Alabama Attorney General William Baxley reopened the case. Then people began to search through the rubble for victims. 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 bomb went off on a Sunday morning, killing Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley, all 14. . She attended the 16th Street Baptist Church with her parents, Julius and Alice, as well as her six siblings. Login or create an account to save resources to your bookmark collection. 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. It occurred in the context of social upheaval in the city of Birmingham, which earned the moniker "Bombingham" after a spate of terrorist activities. Blanton was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The costly raid convinced the German high command that the Luftwaffe could not achieve air supremacy over Britain, and the next read more, During the Battle of the Somme, the British launch a major offensive against the Germans, employing tanks for the first time in history. 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. 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.. Add to your scrapbook. The Collins family appears in the 1997 Spike Lee film 4 Little Girls, a documentary on the bombing and its political significance. Now he spoke quietly to a crowd of 8,000 at a joint funeral for three of the bomb victims. In 1963, many civil rights activists, including King,blamed Alabama Gov. Although a subsequent FBI investigation identified three other menBobby Frank Cherry, Herman Cash and Thomas E. Blanton, Jr.as having helped Chambliss commit the crime, it was later revealed that FBI chairman J. Edgar Hoover blocked their prosecution and shut down the investigation without filing charges in 1968. People everywhere died.". It was Youth Sunday at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. "It was just a matter of time," said Pastor John H. Cross of the bombing. George Wallace, however, repeated his call that the feds buried evidence in bombings because it pointed to "the wrong people" -- meaning civil rights groups. Saturday was the 55th anniversary of the bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Browse 63 addie mae collins stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Though Cash died in 1994, Cherry and Blanton were arrested and charged with four counts of murder in 2000. 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. Gov. At a funeral for three of the girls (ones family preferred a separate, private service), King addressed more than 8,000 mourners. An overflow crowd attends memorial services at the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham on Sept. 18, 1963, for three of the four Black girls killed in the bombing. Try again later. Alabama, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974, U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. For more on the ceremony, please visit this story. She befriended Condoleezza Rice, a fellow elementary school student who later became U.S. secretary of state. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Today marks the 55th anniversary of the tragedy. Fifteen sticks of dynamite were planted in the church basement, underneath what turned out to be the girls restroom. Known as "Bombingham" for the 50 racially motivated bombings that took place there between 1945 and 1962, Birmingham, Alabama remained completely segregated in the early 1960s and was a prime focus of the civil rights movement. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. The murders touched off nationwide outrage. More than 20 other members of the congregation were injured in the blast. And weve watched with horror as a wave of deadly violence takes the lives of innocent people time and time again in Charleston, South Carolina; in Charlottesville, Virginia; in Poway, California; in El Paso, Texas and in Pittsburgh. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. But before she could finish, the bomb went off. That spring, their own church had been the center of a campaign against segregation. Addie Mae Collins was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 18, 1949. Thomas told those gathered "The greatest tribute you can pay to Carole is to be calm, be loving, be kind, be innocent. Carole Robertson was a good student who loved reading and dancing. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. It didnt matter what race they were. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Select the Student Version to print the text and Text Dependent Questions only. [29] At 10:19 AM the bomb exploded, blowing a hole in the east side of the church, shattered windows, walls, and doors and injuring or killing 24 people. "When they had exhumed her, the person in the casket had false teeth, dentures. This account has been disabled. Inicio; Servicios. Two young Black men were killed that night, one by police and another by racist thugs. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Baxley obtained FBI files containing substantive information, including the names of suspects, which had been withheld by J. Edgar Hoover in the 1960s. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. The Robertsons made funeral arrangements before learning that the other families were planning a combined service with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, delivering the eulogy. The long struggle was won mainly because children were brave enough to march into the overpowering water hoses and vicious dogs of Police Commissioner Bull Connor. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? In the basement ladies lounge of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, four girls were chatting nervously and straightening their fancy white dresses. In promoting diversity and fighting racism, inclusive education programs forged pathways toward building equitable societies. 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. On September 15, 2008, the venerable Wall Street brokerage firm Lehman Brothers seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, becoming the largest victim of the subprime mortgage crisis that would devastate financial markets and contribute to the biggest economic downturn since the read more, Frankie Valli (born Francis Casteluccio) had been hard at work trying to become a star for the better part of a decade before the Four Seasons achieved their breakthrough. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Read about what we do with the data we gather in our Privacy Policy. Plaster and debris fell around the people in Sunday School upstairs. Failed to remove flower. The Coelacanth species of fish has been READ THE REST, We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. But there had been nothing so evil as the dynamiting of children during Sunday School.. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. At 10:22, it exploded. The murders sparked nationwide outrage and energized the civil rights movement. On Sunday, September 15, 1963, Ku Klux Klan members bombed the Church. At Flers Courcelette, some of the 40 or so primitive tanks advanced over a mile into enemy lines but were too slow to hold their positions read more, During the Korean War, U.S. Marines land at Inchon on the west coast of Korea, 100 miles south of the 38th parallel and just 25 miles from Seoul. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. They were nervous and anxious for the event to begin. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Birmingham, Alabama: Graveside services at Woodlawn cemetery as body of Cynthia Dianne Wesley was buried . Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. One of these was Collins' younger sister, Sarah, who lost an eye and sustained other serious injuries. Family members linked to this person will appear here. and affiliate links. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. GREAT NEWS! The second sentence shows that the girls were involved in their church and contributing to this important service. Try again later. "Darkness will not last forever. This is a carousel with slides. Learn more about managing a memorial . Original caption: Alabama-Birmingham-bombings-Body removed from 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Resend Activation Email. Try again later. 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. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Birmingham "is synonymous to barbarism" and "needs to be protected against itself," said New York City Mayor Robert Wagner. Alvin and Alpha Robertson, parents of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing victim Carole Robertson at the funeral for their daughter; Sept. 17, 1963. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! license except where otherwise noted. The first sentence illustrates the girls as any other girls their age. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. We have set your language to However, workers who opened the grave recoiled in shock: It was empty, devoid of casket and corpse. C.E. ). 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. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial.