Ashley Bowman: 16th Street Church Bombing

On Sunday, September 15th, 1963, 16 street Baptist church was blown up in Birmingham Alabama. A bomb was placed under the church that left 22 people injured and ended the lives of 4 young girls, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley. At least 16 sticks of dynamite were placed under the church blowing not only the church up but several cars and properties in the surrounding areas. This event was tragic and terrible however it also showcased the disgusting lengths that white supremacists would go to inflict torture on the black community.

Why did it happen

Birmingham was a city in the deep south located in Alabama, making it a place of huge amounts of violence against Black people, yet Birmingham was also known for a lot of civil rights movements and can also be seen as a city of great resilience. This was partly due to greatly opposing leaders residing in Birmingham. First, we have Alabama’s Governor George Wallace a segregationist that pledge “to stand in the schoolhouse door” to stop the integration of schools, alongside Eugene “Bull” Conner another segregationist that was supposed to be the head of public safety in Birmingham. These men fought against civil rights leaders such as Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth the founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference alongside Martin Luther King.

Along with strong opposing leaders, the location and its sentiment also played a big role in why it happened. During this time Birmingham became known as Bombingham after experiencing over 50 bombings between 1947-1963. These bombings would happen anywhere, but they were targeted at places that played a part in the civil rights movement, for example, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth’s house was bombed. 16th street Baptist church was not a place just for religion, but it was also a place for community, black panther meetings, and black safety. While this church stood as a huge symbol of community and culture for black people, 16th street Baptist Church was also the First African American Baptist Church. All these factors made it the best place to inflict terror and immense pain on the black community.

Who was responsible

Overall, the KKK was known to be over this act of terror, but at first, it was unknown which specific member or members were to blame for this crime. It wasn’t until 1965 that four suspects were found by the names of Robert E. Chambliss, Bobby Frank Cherry, Herman Frank Cash, and Thomas E. Blanton, Jr were all found by FBI investigations. Yet these men did not receive any prosecution during the time since there was a claim being made about there not being enough evidence. It wasn’t until 1977 when Robert Chambliss the leader of the group was charged with the murder of children and a church bombing. Yet unfortunately, the other 3 men weren’t all prosecuted until 2002.

Lasting Impact

Immediately after the bombing, extreme violence broke out in Birmingham. News of the church bombing went to both national and international press. People had no choice but to pay attention to everything going on in Birmingham unlike the bombings in the past that had been ignored. The nation had no choice but to hear about the lives of 4 little girls taken because of hate and hate only. Immediately after the bombing happen the Birmingham campaign happened on May 2nd, 1963. This campaign was performed by more than 1,000 African American students that had attempted to march into downtown Birmingham, unfortunately, hundreds were arrested. The biggest impact is the lives of 4 innocent little girls who were lost due to racism and hate. These 4 little girls were simply getting dressed for choir just to be unexpectedly killed in a building of safety and community. America was forced to look at the death of four little girls due to pure hate and racism they chose to ignore.