Login or create an account to save resources to your bookmark collection. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. 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. At left is Clara Pippen, mother of the two women. It's a story that goes from colonial times all the way up to the present. One of them was Addie Mae Collins sister Sarah, who was blinded in one eye. Addie Mae Collins, 14, and Denise McNair, 11, were in the choir. Addie Mae Collins, 14, and Denise McNair, 11, were in the choir. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Please try again later. The bomb went off on a Sunday morning, killing Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley, all 14. . 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. Please reset your password. 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. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. But before she could finish, the bomb went off. She was the first adopted daughter of Claude and Gertrude Wesley, both of whom were teachers. Addie Mae Collins. That spring, their own church had been the center of a campaign against segregation. Service, a Creative Commons Her family says someone is. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. The bombing occurred days after black students began attending Birmingham city schools. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Khrushchev came to power in the Soviet Union read more, Confederate General Thomas Stonewall Jackson captures Harpers Ferry, Virginia (present-day West Virginia), and some 12,000 Union soldiers as General Robert E. Lees army moves north into Maryland. Despite the outrage and an FBI investigation, however, no one was charged with the crime. This photo shows President Kennedy's visit to Redstone Arsenal on Sept. 11, 1962. 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. Read the rules you agree to by using this website in our Terms 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. People everywhere died.". Our forum rules are detailed in the Community Guidelines. 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. 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. 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. Because of this, they were a major target for segregationist attacks. designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated Copyright 1998 NPR. The innocent blood of these little girls may well serve as the redemptive force that will bring new light to this dark city. 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. The Rev. The bomb went off on a Sunday morning, killing Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley, all 14. . There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. 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. Oops, something didn't work. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. The murders touched off nationwide outrage. Saturday was the 55th anniversary of the bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. 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. But more importantly, it made the pain of racism felt among whites who would never experience it themselves. The SPLCidentifiedwhite nationalists and neo-Nazis at Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Knoxville, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; and Dallas just days after police killed George Floyd in Minneapolis. 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. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. "When they had exhumed her, the person in the casket had false teeth, dentures. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Addie Mae Collins was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 18, 1949. She married James Bartlett Stuart on 23 June 1905, in Grayson, Texas . Steve Chiotakis (Chee-uh-TAKE-iss) reports from member station W-B-H-M. Then, 14 years later, Alabama Attorney General William Baxley reopened the case. Two other perpetratorsThomas Blanton Jr. and Bobby Frank Cherrywere convicted in 2001 and 2002, respectively. The whole world had watched in awe as the children in Birmingham made history. The murders touched off nationwide outrage. 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. Verify and try again. She also participated in Saturday dance lessons and the science club. 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. Resend Activation Email. "It was just a matter of time," said Pastor John H. Cross of the bombing. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA. 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. Choose one sentence from the text that illustrates why this bombing was so different from the other acts of hatred. license. He attended college at Yale University, graduating second in his class. 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. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? (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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. George Wallace, however, repeated his call that the feds buried evidence in bombings because it pointed to "the wrong people" -- meaning civil rights groups. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Alabama, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974, U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Thirty-five years ago a bomb killed four little girls in a Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Baxley obtained FBI files containing substantive information, including the names of suspects, which had been withheld by J. Edgar Hoover in the 1960s. In 1998, the Collins family requested that Addie Mae's body be exhumed and moved to another cemetery. The murders touched off nationwide outrage. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Original caption: Alabama-Birmingham-bombings-Body being removed at 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Addie Mae's sister) The Collins family appears in the 1997 Spike Lee film 4 Little Girls, a documentary on the bombing and its political significance. Her family says someone is responsible . The missing body of Addie Mae Collins, one of the four Birmingham girls. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. She befriended Condoleezza Rice, a fellow elementary school student who later became U.S. secretary of state. In the months leading up to the church bombing, the Civil Rights Movement had made strides in the city of Birmingham. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Drag images here or select from your computer for Cynthia Dionne Wesley memorial. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Service. Civil rights leader the Rev. Murder Victim. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. 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. Another two suspects were charged and convicted in 2001 and 2002, a fourth suspect died before charges were brought. Janie Gaines and Sarah Cox know from experience that black cadavers tend to disappear. 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. The news spread quickly, and it sickened people of all races and all political allegiances throughout the world. Select the Teacher Version to print the text with labels, Text Dependent Questions and answers. The 1963. 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.