Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Failed to remove flower. Try again. Or, continue scrolling for the photos of the historic event. GREAT NEWS! "When they had exhumed her, the person in the casket had false teeth, dentures. Photo byThe Washington Post Photo/Hal Yeager/Getty Images. For more on the ceremony, please visit this story. Four Black schoolgirls killed in Birmingham church bombing On September 15, 1963, a bomb explodes during Sunday morning services in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing. Try again later. Efforts to prosecute the other three men believed responsible for the bombing continued for decades. Try again later. Verify and try again. 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. 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. 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. Chambliss was sent to prison, where he died. 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. Carole Robertson was a good student who loved reading and dancing. 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. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? The innocent blood of these little girls may well serve as the redemptive force that will bring new light to this dark city. 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. 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. Learn more about merges. This account has been disabled. In addition to the four fatalities, more than 20 people were injured. Drag images here or select from your computer for Cynthia Dionne Wesley memorial. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. 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. Martin Luther King, Jr., eulogized her, and her tombstone bears the rousing inscription "She Died So Freedom Might Live.". A 73-year-old Klansman named Robert Chambliss was charged with first-degree murder, and the jury found him guilty. The case remained dormant until 1971, when Attorney General William Baxley reopened it. 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. Search above to list available cemeteries. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. In the wake of the Battle of the Marneduring which Allied troops halted the steady German push through Belgium and France that had proceeded over the first month of World War Ia conflict both sides had expected to be short and decisive turns longer and bloodier, as Allied and read more, ARVN forces recapture Quang Tri City after four days of heavy fighting, with the claim that over 8,135 NVA had been killed in the battle. People everywhere died.". A former Ku Klux Klansman, Thomas Blanton Jr., 62,. Thirty-five years ago a bomb killed four little girls in a Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. But there had been nothing so evil as the dynamiting of children during Sunday School. The North Vietnamese forces had launched a massive offensive, called the Nguyen Hue or Easter Offensive, on March 31, with three main read more, William Howard Taft is born in Cincinnati, Ohio on September 15, 1857. The Memorial, commissioned by the SPLC, records the names of 40 civil rights martyrs and chronicles their deaths and other major events of the movement in lines that radiate like the hands of a clock. designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated 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? 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. 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. Immediately after the blast, church members wandered dazed and bloodied, covered with white powder and broken stained glass, before starting to dig in the rubble to search for survivors. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. The first sentence illustrates the girls as any other girls their age. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Plaster and debris fell around the people in Sunday School upstairs. The notion that they were wearing fancy dresses highlights the idea that the service was important and something they dressed up for. 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. 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. 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. Please reset your password. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. When they tried exhume her body, somebody else was buried beneath her headstone. 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. At left is Clara Pippen, mother of the two women. Year should not be greater than current year. "If these cruel and tragic events can only awaken that city and state -- if they can only awaken this entire nation -- to a realization of the folly of racial injustice and hatred and violence, then it is not too late for all concerned to unite in steps toward peaceful progress before more lives are lost," Kennedy said. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. As part of the movement, African American churches served as its spiritual backbone and were used as meeting places for the black community. I'm shot," he told his brother James with his dying breath. Oops, something didn't work. When the debris was searched for survivors, the bodies of the four young girls were found: ; Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Carole Robertson. 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. (Tom Self/ Birmingham News), Original caption: The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing kills four girls and also leaves a scene of devastation. Login or create an account to save resources to your bookmark collection. In a later statement, the FBI stated that their investigation had been impeded by the lack of witness cooperation in Birmingham. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Adnan Syed: A Complete Timeline of His Trial, Appeal and Killing of Hae Min Lee. For more on the ceremony, please visit this story. Three men responsible for Collins' murder were brought to justice between 1977 and 2002. After the blast, Christ's head was blown away. Photo by AP Images. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Addie Mae Collins was born on 18 April 1949 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Noting that no timing device was found, he disputed the . Year should not be greater than current year. But it's worth noting, as we think about racism and the way it tends to work in America today that is, as entrenched systems and socially supported biases, rather than as intentional expressions of overt hatred that there are still some big disparities in which people end up as med school cadavers and organ donors. 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. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. 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. With its large African American congregation, the 16th Street Baptist Church served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., who once called Birmingham a symbol of hardcore resistance to integration. Alabamas governor, George Wallace, made preserving racial segregation one of the central goals of his administration, and Birmingham had one of the most violent and lawless chapters of the Ku Klux Klan. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Herman Frank Cash, a fourth suspect, died in 1994 before ever being tried. September 15, 1963 was remembered as a day of victory for the Klan. The scene infuriated her husband, Joe DiMaggio, who felt it was exhibitionist, and the couple divorced read more, Thirteen-year-old Melissa Benoit disappears in her hometown of Kingston, Massachusetts, on her way home from a friends house. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Pictured here are Johnny Robinson (left), 16, and Virgil Ware, 13. The bomb went off on a Sunday morning, killing Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley, all 14. . The murders touched off nationwide outrage. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. ", 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. 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. cemeteries found in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Please try again later. Try again later. "We've been expecting this all along.". This browser does not support getting your location. In 1963, many civil rights activists, including King,blamed Alabama Gov. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. The murders touched off nationwide . We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. 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. Photo by Horace Cort/AP Images. Indeed, this tragic event may cause the white South to come to terms with its conscience.. Addie Mae Collins was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 18, 1949. Condoleezza Rice,who would later become U.S. secretary of state,was among her elementary school friends. 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. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. This is how we can honor Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and the countless others who have lost their lives to the hands of hate. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. The man at right is unidentified. Gov. So it should come as no surprise that weve seen this dangerous and inherently violent ideology once again become part of themainstream political realm. 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. 0 cemeteries found in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Her family says someone is responsible for the disappearance of her remains. Resend Activation Email. This crime marked a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. It occurred in the context of social upheaval in the city of Birmingham, which earned the moniker "Bombingham" after a spate of terrorist activities. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Addie Mae was helping Denise tie the sash on her dress. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Nearby buildings are left without glass in windows. Born April 18, 1949 Died September 15, 1963 (14) Add to list Credits IMDbPro Archive Footage Previous 3 The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song Thomas told those gathered "The greatest tribute you can pay to Carole is to be calm, be loving, be kind, be innocent. "It would have given the extremists an opportunity to reconsider," Cross said. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Shortly after the church bombing, white supremacist leader Connie Lynch told a group of Klansmen that those responsible for the bombing deserved medals. Lynch said the four young girls who died there werent children. GREAT NEWS! Try again later. A system error has occurred. Ministers homes, a black-owned hotel, and other churches had been wrecked. Flying debris nearly demolishes vehicles and leaves cars dotted with large holes. They've filed suit against the funeral home, and have filed a claim against the city of Birmingham. Addie Mae, 14, and Denise, 11, were preparing to sing in the church choir. In May 1963, city and civil rights leaders negotiated the integration of public spaces, sparking widespread violence. 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. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Read about what we do with the data we gather in our Privacy Policy. When the crew dug up the grave there was nothing in it. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6433296/cynthia-dionne-wesley. The Klansmen who planted the bomb wanted to terrorize the Black community when they targeted the church the Rev. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Oops, something didn't work. The location had been criticized as too risky, but U.N. Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur insisted on carrying out the landing. There was an error deleting this problem. 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. In September 1963 when legal segregation was dying white supremacists responded with violence to Americas reckoning on racial injustice. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. Martin Luther King Jr. had delivered his I Have a Dream speech to the largest civil rights march in history only 18 days earlier. She attended the 16th Street Baptist Church with her parents, Julius and Alice, as well as her six siblings. Three Ku Klux Klan members were later . 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 whole world had watched in awe as the children in Birmingham made history. From left to right: Denise McNair, 11; Carole Robertson, 14; Addie Mae Collins, 14; and Cynthia Wesley, 14. 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. 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. 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. The Collins family appears in the 1997 Spike Lee film 4 Little Girls, a documentary on the bombing and its political significance. Choose one sentence from the text that illustrates why this bombing was so different from the other acts of hatred. Whether you need a laptop for READ THE REST. She sang in her elementary school chorus, played the clarinet, and was a member of Jack and Jill of America, a civic-minded youth and family organization. On September 15, 1963, a bomb explodes during Sunday morning services in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls: Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14) and Carol Denise McNair (11). 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. 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. Original caption: Alabama-Birmingham-bombings-Body removed from 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Wallace and his advisers have been sowing the seeds of this disaster," the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law stated. The NAACP questioned the speed of the investigation and whether all resources available were being utilized. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. It wasn't until 1977 that anyone was charged, at which time a Klan leader was convicted for the murders. Gangs of black and white youths battled in the street, and businesses went up in flames. The Life Summary of Addie Mae. A stretcher waits to carry away any more victims found. The bomb went off on a Sunday morning, killing Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley, all 14. .