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63 Years After Alabama Church Bombing, Sister of Victim Calls on People to Confront Racism
The memorial service will include remarks, performances and a ribbon-cutting for the church’s new Education & Visitor Center.
On Tuesday, Birmingham leaders gathered at 16th Street Baptist Church to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the bombing, featuring the opening of a new Education and Visitor Center to preserve the history of the 1963 attack.
Klux Klan members planted dynamite beneath the steps of 16th Street Baptist Church on Sept. 15, 1963, killing Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins, while injuring nearly 20 other people.
Lisa McNair, sister of Denise, reflected on her family's loss and called on Christians to stand against racism, stating, "We need to really get mad and really fight with that anger, not hurt people with that anger."
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, Equal Justice Initiative Founder Bryan Stevenson, and Rev. Arthur Price will provide remarks at the memorial, while community leaders hold quilting demonstrations highlighting storytelling traditions connected to the Civil Rights Movement.
The 1963 bombing helped build momentum for the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act, and McNair hopes the new Visitor Center serves as a living lesson for future generations about the consequences of hate.