Gangs of black and white youths battled in the street, and businesses went up in flames. Addie Mae Collins' younger sister, Sarah, was the last person to see the girls alive. 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. In May 1963, city and civil rights leaders negotiated the integration of public spaces, sparking widespread violence. This is a carousel with slides. This Day in Black History: Sept. 15, 1963 | News | BET It was thirty years before her sisters could bear to visit her grave, and when they saw its neglected state, they immediately arranged to have Addie Mae moved to another, better-maintained cemetery. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. When Addie Mae Collins was born on 31 October 1884, in Texas, United States, her father, Robert Clay Collins, was 39 and her mother, Martha Ann Kennedy, was 22. The tale, and how it connects to racism both historical and modern, haunted me all day yesterday. Jurors, defendant look away as morgue photos shown at church bombing trial You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. The Collins family appears in the 1997 Spike Lee film 4 Little Girls, a documentary on the bombing and its political significance. 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 . All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. 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. He then attended read more, On September 15, 1858, the new Overland Mail Company sends out its first two stages, inaugurating government mail service between the eastern and western regions of the nation. The innocent blood of these little girls may well serve as the redemptive force that will bring new light to this dark city. 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 your help! 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. Please reset your password. Funeral services are held at Woodlawn Cemetery in Birmingham for Cynthia Wesley. Highlighted vocabulary will appear in both printed versions. The NAACP questioned the speed of the investigation and whether all resources available were being utilized. Pictured here are Johnny Robinson (left), 16, and Virgil Ware, 13. Ten months later, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The missing body of Addie Mae Collins, one of the four Birmingham girls. birmingham church bombing victims autopsy 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. 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. 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? Birmingham "is synonymous to barbarism" and "needs to be protected against itself," said New York City Mayor Robert Wagner. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Three Ku Klux Klan members were later . The bombing occurred days after black students began attending Birmingham city schools. 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. Carole and Cynthia both 14 were going to be ushers. In 1997 a documentary film on the bombing called "4 Little Girls" was released. 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. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Oops, something didn't work. One. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. So it should come as no surprise that weve seen this dangerous and inherently violent ideology once again become part of themainstream political realm. Sisters tell of surviving 1963 church bombing - JournalStar Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. On Sept. 15, 1963, four Black girls, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair, were killed in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, after a . of Denise McNair, 11, staged plays, dance routines and poetry readings in her familys carport to raise money for muscular dystrophy research. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. and affiliate links. She also played baseball and was a member of the Brownies. 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. 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. A youth center dedicated to her was established in Birmingham. 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. Children are little people, little human beings, and that means white people. The murders touched off nationwide . Maxine and Chris McNair hold a picture of their daughter, Denise, the day after she was killed in the bombing. Make sure that the file is a photo. Janie Gaines and Sarah Cox know from experience that black cadavers tend to disappear. 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. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Try again later. The murders sparked nationwide outrage and energized the civil rights movement. Try again later. Family members linked to this person will appear here. 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. 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. Four Little Girls (U.S. National Park Service) For the youngsters, many of whom had marched proudly with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it was another in a series of momentous events that year. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. The benefits of learning to play 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. Windows were blown out of nearby businesses as was a stained glass window at the church depicting Christ leading children. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Vernon Merritt photo, More than 1,600 people attended the memorial service for Carole Rosamond Robertson on Sept. 17, 1963. 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. 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. Make sure that the file is a photo. Addie Mae, 14, and Denise, 11, were preparing to sing in the church choir. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. The Birmingham News. Addie Mae Collins: One of the four Birmingham girls But there had been nothing so evil as the dynamiting of children during Sunday School. Three men responsible for Collins' murder were brought to justice between 1977 and 2002. The right computer monitor canmake or 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. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. On the morning of Sunday, September 15, 1963, 14-year-old Collins was in the church basement room with a group of other children. 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 . There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. 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. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Farrell Griswold, pastor of Minor Heights Baptist, told the crowd. ). program In a few minutes, the worship service would begin. In a later statement, the FBI stated that their investigation had been impeded by the lack of witness cooperation in Birmingham. Now, as our nation confronts multiple assaults on democratic values, we hold firm in the fight to protectand to expanddemocracy through social justice education. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Martin Luther King Jr. is followed by Revs. 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. 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. 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. Addie Mae Collins (1949-1963) - Find a Grave Memorial A 73-year-old Klansman named Robert Chambliss was charged with first-degree murder, and the jury found him guilty. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. 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. Collins' murder remained officially unsolved until the 1970s. Login or create an account to save resources to your bookmark collection. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. Addie Mae was buried at Birmingham's Greenwood Cemetery. The murders touched off nationwide outrage. Original caption: The damaged interior of the church is shown in the immediate aftermath of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. 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. Chambliss was sent to prison, where he died. Every last one of us is condemned for that crime and the bombing before it and a decade ago. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. The news spread quickly, and it sickened people of all races and all political allegiances throughout the world. In 1998, when her sisters visited her grave, and saw its neglected state, they immediately requested that Addie Mae's body be exhumed and moved to another better-maintained cemetery. Resend Activation Email. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Weve updated the security on the site. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. 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. For more on the ceremony, please visit this story. "We've been expecting this all along.". ChrisMcNair was an accomplished photographer and one of the first Black members of the Alabama Legislature. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Cynthia Dionne Wesley I found on Findagrave.com. Boing Boing uses cookies and analytics trackers, and is supported by advertising, merchandise Year should not be greater than current year. When the crew dug up the grave there was nothing in it. GREAT NEWS! Thirty-five years ago a bomb killed four little girls in a Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The four girls in the ladies lounge were killed instantly. 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.