She died on 15 September 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Indeed, this tragic event may cause the white South to come to terms with its conscience.. Photo by AP Images. Try again later. In 1977, a 73-year-old Chambliss was convicted of the murder of Collins and sentenced to life in prison. Copyright 1998 NPR. Those disparities stem from laws that allow for medical schools to take possession of bodies of the homeless (who are more likely to be black than white) and "presumed consent" laws, which allow hospitals and coroners to assume that a dead person would want to donate their body parts. 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. 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 Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. In 1963, many civil rights activists, including King,blamed Alabama Gov. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, both 14, had been chosen to serve as ushers. Verify and try again. Try again. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. 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. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Farrell Griswold, pastor of Minor Heights Baptist, told the crowd. sales Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). [29] 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. The bombing occurred days after black students began attending Birmingham city schools. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. The first sentence illustrates the girls as any other girls their age. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Please try again later. Oops, something didn't work. Failed to report flower. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Condoleezza Rice,who would later become U.S. secretary of state,was among her elementary school friends. Make sure that the file is a photo. One of these was Collins' younger sister, Sarah, who lost an eye and sustained other serious injuries. Addie Mae's body, like so many buried in black cemeteries throughout the South, is missing. 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. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. "This bombing of children was a dastardly act.". 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. Sarah Collins, Addie Mae's sister, lost her right eye. Then, 14 years later, Alabama Attorney General William Baxley reopened the case. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Shortly after the church bombing, white supremacist leader Connie Lynch told a group of Klansmen that those responsible for the bombing deserved medals. Lynch said the four young girls who died there werent children. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA. The song "Birmingham Sunday," recorded by Joan Baez memorialized the victims of the bombing. ). People everywhere died.". She befriended Condoleezza Rice, a fellow elementary school student who later became U.S. secretary of state. All rights reserved. Herman Frank Cash, a fourth suspect, died in 1994 before ever being tried. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Who will be eaten first? I happened to stumble across this story last week, while reading Harriet Washington's book, Medical Apartheid. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. At Flers Courcelette, some of the 40 or so primitive tanks advanced over a mile into enemy lines but were too slow to hold their positions read more, During the Korean War, U.S. Marines land at Inchon on the west coast of Korea, 100 miles south of the 38th parallel and just 25 miles from Seoul. 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. Addie Mae, 14, and Denise, 11, were preparing to sing in the church choir. In a few minutes, the worship service would begin. This browser does not support getting your location. A fourth suspect, Herman Frank Cash, died in 1994, before he could be charged. Learn more about managing a memorial . 0 cemeteries found in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA. Another 22 people were injured in the explosion. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? 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. One of them was Addie Mae Collins sister Sarah, who was blinded in one eye. During the next two weeks, Khrushchevs visit dominated the news and provided some dramatic and humorous moments in the history of the Cold War. Grief will not prevail. Her body was not in the spot where it was presumed to be. 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. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. 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. Seated left to right: Caroles sister, Dianne, and parents, Alvin Robertson Sr. and Alpha Robertson. What isn't well known is the fact that one of those girls, Addie Mae Collins, may well have been a victim of racism after her death, thanks to a longstanding tradition where white medical schools raided black cemeteries for dissection cadavers. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. In 1998, the Collins family requested that Addie Mae's body be exhumed and moved to another cemetery. The bombing that killed Collins and her friends was a racially motivated hate crime. 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. Just a few feet from her friends, 12-year-old Sarah was bloodied, but still standing, in a cloud of dust. 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. Following his victory, Ali retired from boxing, only to make a read more. But there had been nothing so evil as the dynamiting of children during Sunday School. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Cynthia Dionne Wesley I found on Findagrave.com. 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. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. In the months leading up to the church bombing, the Civil Rights Movement had made strides in the city of Birmingham. 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). Please enter your email and password to sign in. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Immediately after the blast, church members wandered dazed and bloodied, covered with white powder and broken stained glass, before starting to dig in the rubble to search for survivors. Cherrys trial was delayed after judges ruled he was mentally incompetent to stand trial. 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. All of this is important background to understand why Washington thinks that the body of Addie Mae Collins may have ended up on a dissection table. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. 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. The four girls in the ladies lounge were killed instantly. Sorry! Martin Luther King Jr. said he hoped the deaths "may well serve as the redemptive force that brings light to this dark city.". Search above to list available cemeteries. No one else has ever been tried for the Sixteenth Street bombing. She also participated in Saturday dance lessons and the science club. She attended the 16th Street Baptist Church with her parents, Julius and Alice, as well as her six siblings. Collins was killed in the blast along with Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, both 14. 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. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. 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. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. September 15, 1963 was remembered as a day of victory for the Klan. GREAT NEWS! At a funeral for three of the girls (ones family preferred a separate, private service), King addressed more than 8,000 mourners. The preacher had prepared a sermon especially for the children. The FBI immediately investigated the bombing, and discovered it was planned by Klansmen in response to the new school desegregation order. From left to right: Denise McNair, 11; Carole Robertson, 14; Addie Mae Collins, 14; and Cynthia Wesley, 14. 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. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Learn more about merges. 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. Three day after the bombing, funeral services were held for Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, both 14, and 11-year-old Denise McNair. 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. Rudolph, who spoke to the press following a service at the church marking the anniversary of the bombing on Monday, said the family tried to exhume Addie Mae Collins around the year 2000, in order . Add to your scrapbook. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. The bomb collapsed a basement wall, killing Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson - all 14 - and Denise McNair, 11, in a lounge they used for changing into their choir robes. 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. Birmingham, Alabama: Graveside services at Woodlawn cemetery as body of Cynthia Dianne Wesley was buried . Try again later. Meanwhile, public outrage over the bombing continued to grow, drawing international attention to Birmingham. 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. George Wallace, however, repeated his call that the feds buried evidence in bombings because it pointed to "the wrong people" -- meaning civil rights groups. Alvin and Alpha Robertson, parents of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing victim Carole Robertson at the funeral for their daughter; Sept. 17, 1963. English The innocent blood of these little girls may well serve as the redemptive force that will bring new light to this dark city. Windows were blown out of nearby businesses as was a stained glass window at the church depicting Christ leading children. 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. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. God still has a way of wringing good out of evil, he told the mourners. In 1992, nearly 30 years after the bombing, the Collins family decided to move Addie Mae's remains to Elmwood Cemetery. 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. Addie Mae Collins. 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 resulting explosion killed four girls Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Denise McNair. He then attended read more, On September 15, 1858, the new Overland Mail Company sends out its first two stages, inaugurating government mail service between the eastern and western regions of the nation. Then people began to search through the rubble for victims. Select the Student Version to print the text and Text Dependent Questions only. The murders sparked nationwide outrage and energized the civil rights movement. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Civil rights leaders tried to channel the grief and rage that spread through the black community, but there was little comfort in their efforts. For a few minutes, there was only screaming and chaos. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Taft was born into a politically active family; his father had served as President Ulysses S. Grants secretary of war. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. 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. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. 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. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. But there had been nothing so evil as the dynamiting of children during Sunday School.. Try again later. Try again. The family had had plans to move her body because Greenwood Cemetary had become run down and was a playground for vandals. The NAACP questioned the speed of the investigation and whether all resources available were being utilized. Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Addie Mae Collins, Birth Year: 1949, Birth date: April 18, 1949, Birth State: Alabama, Birth City: Birmingham, Birth Country: United States. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Collins and her fellow victims became symbols of racial violence, styled as martyrs in the struggle for civil rights. This account has been disabled. Addie Mae Collins, 14, and Denise McNair, 11, were in the choir. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Nearby buildings are left without glass in windows. On May 22, 2002, Cherry was convicted and sentenced to life, bringing a long-awaited victory to the friends and families of the four young victims. 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. Failed to report flower. 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.