At left is Clara Pippen, mother of the two women. Civil rights leaders tried to channel the grief and rage that spread through the black community, but there was little comfort in their efforts. After the blast, Christ's head was blown away. 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. Gangs of black and white youths battled in the street, and businesses went up in flames. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Learn more about managing a memorial . This photo shows President Kennedy's visit to Redstone Arsenal on Sept. 11, 1962. Prosecutions in the killings of Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Morris Wesley and Carole Robertson were delayed by the reluctance of witnesses and a dearth of physical evidence. 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. 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.. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. 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 . Following his victory, Ali retired from boxing, only to make a read more. 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. A stretcher waits to carry away any more victims found. Her family says someone is. Verify and try again. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. This is a carousel with slides. 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. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. 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. Addie Mae Collins was 14 when she became one of the civil rights movement's most lamented victims. 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. 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. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. That spring, their own church had been the center of a campaign against segregation. 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. But more importantly, it made the pain of racism felt among whites who would never experience it themselves. In October 1963, Chambliss was cleared of the murder charge and received a six-month jail sentence and a $100 fine for the dynamite. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Just as the deaths of the four girls in Birmingham led to public outrage and a renewed commitment to civil rights, the Black Lives Matter demonstrations against police brutality this year have ushered in a renewed sense of hope that our nation may one day find a meaningful way to address systemic anti-Black racism not only in law enforcement, but also in all of our institutions and society at large. 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. Failed to delete memorial. And this isn't just an old story from Victorian times. 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 . Just a few feet from her friends, 12-year-old Sarah was bloodied, but still standing, in a cloud of dust. Service. For more on the ceremony, please visit this story. 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. Wallace and his advisers have been sowing the seeds of this disaster," the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law stated. 0 cemeteries found in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA. sites. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Name: Addie Mae Collins Birth Year: 1949 Birth date: April 18, 1949 Birth State: Alabama Birth City: Birmingham Birth Country: United States Gender: Female Best Known For: Addie Mae Collins was. 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. That same day, news reports described the federal hunt for the bombers as rivaling the search for John Dillinger. Failed to remove flower. Born one of seven children, the daughter of Adele Marie Fairconeture and Oscar L. Collins. Missing remains of 1963 church bombing victim believed to be found | WHAM There are dramatic new developments in the search for the missing remains of a key figure in the 1960's civil rights. Photo by AP Images. 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. Try again later. Learn more about merges. Photo by Bettmann/Getty Images. She attended Hill Elementary School and was an enthusiastic softball player and budding artist. Indeed, this tragic event may cause the white South to come to terms with its conscience.. Highlighted vocabulary will appear in both printed versions. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Fifteen sticks of dynamite were planted in the church basement, underneath what turned out to be the girls restroom. Fred Shuttlesworth officiated instead. This essay was first published in Free At Last: A History of the Civil Rights Movement and Those Who Died in the Struggle in 1989. Collins' murder remained officially unsolved until the 1970s. based on information from your browser. The 1963. 31 October 1884-1 October 1953 (Age 68) Texas, United States. 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. I happened to stumble across this story last week, while reading Harriet Washington's book, Medical Apartheid. In Birmingham, attorney Charles Morgan, Jr. spoke before the Birmingham Young Men's Business Club, identifying the people responsible for the attack. The five girls were gathered in a downstairs washroom at Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church on the morning of Sept. 15, 1963, when a timed bomb planted by KKK members went off outside under . She attended Ullman High School where she excelled in math, reading, and band. The murders sparked nationwide outrage and energized the civil rights movement. 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. It didnt matter what race they were. Addie Mae Collins, 14, and Denise McNair, 11, were in the choir. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. One of them was Addie Mae Collins sister Sarah, who was blinded in one eye. 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. cemeteries found in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Service, a Creative Commons 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. English It occurred in the context of social upheaval in the city of Birmingham, which earned the moniker "Bombingham" after a spate of terrorist activities. of The second sentence shows that the girls were involved in their church and contributing to this important service. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. To this day, the location of Addie Mae's body remains a mystery. The first sentence illustrates the girls as any other girls their age. Seated left to right: Caroles sister, Dianne, and parents, Alvin Robertson Sr. and Alpha Robertson. Photo by AP Images. 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. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. She married James Bartlett Stuart on 23 June 1905, in Grayson, Texas . You need a Find a Grave account to continue. She also played baseball and was a member of the Brownies. 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. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Trivia (1) In 1998, it was revealed to the horror of the Collins family that her grave was empty. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Addie Mae Collins was a 14-year-old murder victim whose 1963 death focused public attention on racial violence in the South. Noting that no timing device was found, he disputed the . Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Oops, we were unable to send the email. She was the first adopted daughter of Claude and Gertrude Wesley, both of whom were teachers. Blanton was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Although most Americans do not know her name, Addie Mae is a national icon of sorts. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. sales "It would have given the extremists an opportunity to reconsider," Cross said. That part of the story is pretty well-known. In May 1963, city and civil rights leaders negotiated the integration of public spaces, sparking widespread violence. Addie Mae, 14, and Denise, 11, were preparing to sing in the church choir. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. 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. Addie Mae's body, like so many buried in black cemeteries throughout the South, is missing. In 1963, many civil rights activists, including King,blamed Alabama Gov. Photo byThe Washington Post Photo/Hal Yeager/Getty Images. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. 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. 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. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. 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. The man at right is unidentified. A fourth suspect, Herman Frank Cash, died in 1994, before he could be charged. Weve updated the security on the site. We all did it. Every person in this community who has in any way contributed during the past several years to the popularity of hatred is at least as guilty, or more so, than the demented fool who threw that bomb," Morgan said. She also participated in Saturday dance lessons and the science club. Every last one of us is condemned for that crime and the bombing before it and a decade ago. Failed to remove flower. Try again later. Original caption: NEWS FILE/TOM SELF A stained glass window bears testament to a bomb's damage; Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, September 15, 1963. In the months leading up to the church bombing, the Civil Rights Movement had made strides in the city of Birmingham. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). The whole church shook. Meanwhile, public outrage over the bombing continued to grow, drawing international attention to Birmingham. Denise McNair performed in plays, dance routines and poetry readings to raise money for muscular dystrophy research. There is a problem with your email/password. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. On the morning of Sunday, September 15, 1963, 14-year-old Collins was in the church basement room with a group of other children. Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, both 14, had been chosen to serve as ushers. Year should not be greater than current year. Grief will not prevail. "The answer should be, "We all did it." 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. 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. There was an error deleting this problem. After Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley reopened the case, Chambliss was convicted in 1977 and sentenced to life in prison. 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. For a few minutes, there was only screaming and chaos. Two young Black men were killed that night, one by police and another by racist thugs. 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. Gov. A system error has occurred. Now, as our nation confronts multiple assaults on democratic values, we hold firm in the fight to protectand to expanddemocracy through social justice education. When they tried exhume her body, somebody else was buried beneath her headstone. The bombing occurred days after black students began attending Birmingham city schools. The murders touched off nationwide outrage. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. Failed to delete memorial. 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. 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. Photo by Horace Cort/AP Images. 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. 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. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Read the rules you agree to by using this website in our Terms Ten months later, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In a few minutes, the worship service would begin. Martin Luther King Jr. is followed by Revs. Three men were convicted of murdering Addie Mae Collins long after her death, in trials held between 1977 and 2002. 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 Please enter your email and password to sign in. During the next two weeks, Khrushchevs visit dominated the news and provided some dramatic and humorous moments in the history of the Cold War. Collins and her fellow victims became symbols of racial violence, styled as martyrs in the struggle for civil rights. Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA. Then, 14 years later, Alabama Attorney General William Baxley reopened the case. Try again. The day after the bombing, a white lawyer named Charles Morgan gave a speech in Birmingham. Pictured here are Johnny Robinson (left), 16, and Virgil Ware, 13. Accuracy and availability may vary. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. The tale, and how it connects to racism both historical and modern, haunted me all day yesterday. Try again later. Birmingham, Alabama: Graveside services at Woodlawn cemetery as body of Cynthia Dianne Wesley was buried . As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Search above to list available cemeteries. Plaster and debris fell around the people in Sunday School upstairs. Original caption: Alabama-Birmingham-bombings-Body removed from 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. As part of the movement, African American churches served as its spiritual backbone and were used as meeting places for the black community. Chambliss was sent to prison, where he died. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. But the result is that minorities still end up representing a disproportionate percentage of bodies used in research and medicine, and those bodies are still often being used without consent. 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. In the end, more than 20 people were hospitalized with injuries. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Theyre just little niggers and if theres four less niggers tonight, then I say, Good for whoever planted the bomb!. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. The whole world had watched in awe as the children in Birmingham made history. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Members of the Ku Klux Klan planted a box of dynamite at the church, which was a major organizing center for the black community and civil rights protests. Although the town detective talked to everyone who lived on the path between the two houses, no one admitted to having seen Benoit. 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. Original caption: Bystanders react to the destruction in the immediate aftermath of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963. 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. 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. Astrological Sign: Aries. Maxine McNair was an educator. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. 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. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. That morning twenty-six children were in the church's basement assembly room preparing for the service when the bomb exploded. Two other perpetratorsThomas Blanton Jr. and Bobby Frank Cherrywere convicted in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Addie Mae Collins. The missing body of Addie Mae Collins, one of the four Birmingham girls. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Nearby buildings are left without glass in windows. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Photo by AP Images. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. For more on the ceremony, please visit this story. They marched with Martin Luther King Jr. through overpowering water hoses and vicious dogs. Images of this reality led to reform of the segregation laws, including in schools and at lunch counters. Oops, something didn't work. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Sorry! Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. She was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Birmingham, but her body has been. .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. "Such heinous acts have added to the already heavy burden of fighting for the right of people to govern themselves," the statement read. Thirty-five years ago a bomb killed four little girls in a Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. A youth center dedicated to her was established in Birmingham. Carole Robertson was a good student who loved reading and dancing. LEGAL INNOVATION | Tu Agente Digitalizador; LEGAL3 | Gestin Definitiva de Despachos; LEGAL GOV | Gestin Avanzada Sector Pblico (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. Please reset your password. 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. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. All rights reserved (About Us). At a funeral for three of the girls (ones family preferred a separate, private service), King addressed more than 8,000 mourners. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. When thousands of Black protesters assembled at the crime scene, Wallace sent hundreds of police and state troopers to the area to break up the crowd. Try again later. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. This is a carousel with slides. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Cynthia Wesley (6433296)? The thirteen-year-old was a martyr of the civil rights movement, one of four girls who were murdered in the 1963 bombing of Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church a few days after the city's schools were integrated. Victims (from left): Denise McNair, 11; Carole Robertson, 14; Addie Mae Collins, 14; and Cynthia Wesley, 14, are shown in these 1963 photos. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. 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. Verify and try again. Drag images here or select from your computer for Addie Mae Collins memorial. The Birmingham News reported it was the 41st bombing in the city in the past 16 years. GREAT NEWS! 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. Weve updated the security on the site. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Carole and Cynthia both 14 were going to be ushers. Try again. In the basement ladies lounge of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, four girls were chatting nervously and straightening their fancy white dresses. 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). Family members linked to this person will appear here. Alabama State Office Director Addie Mae Collins was an outgoing, artistic girl who - as a Black teenager in 1963 - happily went door to door in the white neighborhoods of Birmingham, Alabama, to sell aprons and potholders that her mother had stitched together to make ends meet. "Violence is not in our plans," the Rev. 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. 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. Our forum rules are detailed in the Community Guidelines. Murder Victim. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. The murders touched off nationwide . Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. 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.