https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6433296/cynthia-dionne-wesley. Addie Mae Collins, 14, and Denise McNair, 11, were in the choir. At about 10:22 AM, as 26 children were entering the basement assembly room for closing prayers, the bomb exploded, blowing a hole in the east side of the church and injuring dozens. Noting that no timing device was found, he disputed the . Despite an FBI investigation, however, no one was immediately charged with the crime. The man at right is unidentified. 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. The news spread quickly, and it sickened people of all races and all political allegiances throughout the world. Try again later. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Alabama, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974, U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Thanks for your help! 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. "Wow. Add to your scrapbook. On the morning of Sunday, September 15, 1963, 14-year-old Collins was in the church basement room with a group of other children. 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. "Darkness will not last forever. The bomb went off on a Sunday morning, killing Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley, all 14. . Please try again later. To honor the girls sacrifice and the powerful impact it had on the civil rights movement, their names were inscribed on the circular black granite table of theCivil Rights Memorialacross the street from the SPLCs headquarters in Montgomery. Browse 63 addie mae collins stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. 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. Check out how leafcutter ants work in spectacular close-up video, Weird science and tech are bringing magick back, Look into the empty eyes of an ancient, giant fish, Start your musical journey with the Populele Smart Ukulele, now only $159.99, Enjoy a new vantage view of your computer with this portable 15.6-inch OLED screen, now only $396, This beautifully refurbished MacBook Pro is a great price for a limited time, Terms A stretcher waits to carry away any more victims found. 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. Collins and her fellow victims became symbols of racial violence, styled as martyrs in the struggle for civil rights. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Try again. Drag images here or select from your computer for Cynthia Dionne Wesley memorial. Try again later. After decades of neglect, the cemetery records were found to be incomplete and the location of the body had been lost. To use this feature, use a newer browser. 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. The preacher had prepared a sermon especially for the children. Make sure that the file is a photo. 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. There was an error deleting this problem. As part of the movement, African American churches served as its spiritual backbone and were used as meeting places for the black community. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. 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. Taft was born into a politically active family; his father had served as President Ulysses S. Grants secretary of war. "This bombing of children was a dastardly act.". Baxley obtained FBI files containing substantive information, including the names of suspects, which had been withheld by J. Edgar Hoover in the 1960s. Ministers homes, a black-owned hotel, and other churches had been wrecked. Seven years later, the Southern Poverty Law Center was created and began enforcing the Act in civil rights lawsuits. In September 1963 when legal segregation was dying white supremacists responded with violence to Americas reckoning on racial injustice. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Wallace and his advisers have been sowing the seeds of this disaster," the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law stated. Make sure that the file is a photo. Photo by Bettmann/Getty Images. 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. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Addie Mae Collins. ChrisMcNair was an accomplished photographer and one of the first Black members of the Alabama Legislature. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Soon afterward, the read more, Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet head of state to visit the United States. But there had been nothing so evil as the dynamiting of children during Sunday School.. Learn more about managing a memorial . Sorry! Family members linked to this person will appear here. We have set your language to 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. In the months leading up to the church bombing, the Civil Rights Movement had made strides in the city of Birmingham. People everywhere died.". Ten months later, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Plaster and debris fell around the people in Sunday School upstairs. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. She befriended Condoleezza Rice, a fellow elementary school student who later became U.S. secretary of state. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Birmingham "is synonymous to barbarism" and "needs to be protected against itself," said New York City Mayor Robert Wagner. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. The case remained dormant until 1971, when Attorney General William Baxley reopened it. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. 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. 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. All rights reserved. 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. 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. This photo shows President Kennedy's visit to Redstone Arsenal on Sept. 11, 1962. This is different from intentionally seeking out the bodies of black people because you think they're less human or that their consent matters less, Washington writes. ", 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. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? The four girls in the ladies lounge were killed instantly. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. In 1992, nearly 30 years after the bombing, the Collins family decided to move Addie Mae's remains to Elmwood Cemetery. English Blanton was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. "It was just a matter of time," said Pastor John H. Cross of the bombing. Murder Victim. 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. Collins' murder remained officially unsolved until the 1970s. A youth center dedicated to her was established in Birmingham. The family of Carole Robertson attendfuneral services for her on Sept. 17, 1963, in Birmingham. The bomb went off on a Sunday morning, killing Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley, all 14. . Failed to report flower. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. In the end, more than 20 people were hospitalized with injuries. Civil Rights Figure. 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. Two other suspects were tried and convicted in this case since this book's 1989 publication: Thomas Blanton in 2001 and Bobby Frank Cherry in 2002. 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. The notion that they were wearing fancy dresses highlights the idea that the service was important and something they dressed up for. 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. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. After Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley reopened the case, Chambliss was convicted in 1977 and sentenced to life in prison. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Cynthia Dionne Wesley I found on Findagrave.com. It was Youth Sunday at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Photo by AP Images. 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. Resend Activation Email. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Denise McNair performed in plays, dance routines and poetry readings to raise money for muscular dystrophy research. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. based on information from your browser. The missing body of Addie Mae Collins, one of the four Birmingham girls. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. Herman Frank Cash, a fourth suspect, died in 1994 before ever being tried. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Her family says someone is responsible for the disappearance of her remains. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Cynthia Wesley (6433296)? The Collins family appears in the 1997 Spike Lee film 4 Little Girls, a documentary on the bombing and its political significance. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Fred Shuttlesworth officiated instead. Addie Mae Collins, 14, and Denise McNair, 11, were in the choir. Login or create an account to save resources to your bookmark collection. C.E. 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. Now he spoke quietly to a crowd of 8,000 at a joint funeral for three of the bomb victims. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. 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. 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. The tragedy sparked a surge of support for federal civil rights legislation, and it led to an intensive voting rights campaign in Selma, Alabama. Murder Victim. From left, 11-year-old Denise McNair and 14-year-olds Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley were killed while attending Sunday services. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Please try again later. 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. 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. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. And this isn't just an old story from Victorian times. Photo by Pictorial Parade/Getty Images. 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. Try again later. Who will be eaten first? Accuracy and availability may vary. 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. 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. In a few minutes, the worship service would begin. They had come together as a group in several stages over the previous four years, changing their name in read more, The Battle of Britain reaches its climax when the Royal Air Force (RAF) downs 56 invading German aircraft in two dogfights lasting less than an hour. Every last one of us is condemned for that crime and the bombing before it and a decade ago. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. 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. We have set your language to In the basement ladies lounge of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, four girls were chatting nervously and straightening their fancy white dresses. Condoleezza Rice,who would later become U.S. secretary of state,was among her elementary school friends. 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. 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. A statement from Alabama's congressional delegation denounced the bombing. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. The murders touched off nationwide outrage. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Saturday was the 55th anniversary of the bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. That morning twenty-six children were in the church's basement assembly room preparing for the service when the bomb exploded. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. It's a story that goes from colonial times all the way up to the present. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? "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. Service. Year should not be greater than current year. Search above to list available cemeteries. 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. Martin Luther King Jr. said he hoped the deaths "may well serve as the redemptive force that brings light to this dark city.". Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. The family had had plans to move her body because Greenwood Cemetary had become run down and was a playground for vandals. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Choose one sentence from the text that illustrates why this bombing was so different from the other acts of hatred. That part of the story is pretty well-known. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising In 1998, the Collins family requested that Addie Mae's body be exhumed and moved to another cemetery. And we must hold our leaders accountable for their words because those words inspire others to act, sometimes with deadly consequences. 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. Or, continue scrolling for the photos of the historic event. Janie Gaines and Sarah Cox know from experience that black cadavers tend to disappear. Try again later. 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. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. of Addie Mae Collins was born on 18 April 1949 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. 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. A former Ku Klux Klansman, Thomas Blanton Jr., 62,. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Addie Collins (6433252)? Gov. Despite the outrage and an FBI investigation, however, no one was charged with the crime. Select the Student Version to print the text and Text Dependent Questions only. A 73-year-old Klansman named Robert Chambliss was charged with first-degree murder, and the jury found him guilty. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Sarah Collins, Addie Mae's sister, lost her right eye. ). ). You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. One of the chapters in this book is all about the cadaver trade and how black Americans have historically made up a disproportionate percentage of those cadavers. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. The 1963. Today, we have a president who doesnt bother to disguise his embrace of white nationalists. 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. 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 one of the four Black girls, murdered in a racially motivated terrorist attack perpetrated by members. 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. Nearby buildings are left without glass in windows. 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. .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 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. After the blast, Christ's head was blown away. The second sentence shows that the girls were involved in their church and contributing to this important service. 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. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. After television news cameras revealed the brutal force unleashed on the children, city officials were forced to reform their harsh segregation laws. Because of this, they were a major target for segregationist attacks. Before this day was over, the whole world would mourn. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. 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. No one else has ever been tried for the Sixteenth Street bombing. At left is Clara Pippen, mother of the two women. Photo by AP Images. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. The resulting explosion killed four girls Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Denise McNair. Wallace and Birmingham, meanwhile, faced growing criticism nationwide. 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. Victims (from left): Denise McNair, 11; Carole Robertson, 14; Addie Mae Collins, 14; and Cynthia Wesley, 14, are shown in these 1963 photos. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. More than 20 other members of the congregation were injured in the blast. 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. Carole Robertson was a good student who loved reading and dancing. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. In promoting diversity and fighting racism, inclusive education programs forged pathways toward building equitable societies. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. George Wallacefor creating the toxic climate that led to the church bombing. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). "It would have given the extremists an opportunity to reconsider," Cross said. With California booming, thanks to the 1849 Gold Rush, Americans east and west had been clamoring for read more, Mary Clarissa Agatha Miller, later known as Agatha Christie, is born on September 15, 1890 in Torquay, Devon, England. A fourth suspect, Herman Frank Cash, died in 1994, before he could be charged. 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. Her family says someone is responsible . One of them was Addie Mae Collins sister Sarah, who was blinded in one eye. 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. Year should not be greater than current year. Failed to report flower. This account has been disabled. I happened to stumble across this story last week, while reading Harriet Washington's book, Medical Apartheid. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. All Rights Reserved. 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. Oops, we were unable to send the email. In 2013, the United States Congress awarded each girl the Congressional Gold Medal. 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. Following his victory, Ali retired from boxing, only to make a read more. Addie Mae was buried at Birmingham's Greenwood Cemetery. That spring, their own church had been the center of a campaign against segregation. Efforts to prosecute the other three men believed responsible for the bombing continued for decades. of This browser does not support getting your location. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. It wasn't until 1977 that anyone was charged, at which time a Klan leader was convicted for the murders. Civil rights leader the Rev. Another 22 people were injured in. 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. Maxine and Chris McNair hold a picture of their daughter, Denise, the day after she was killed in the bombing.
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