God still has a way of wringing good out of evil. And, history has proven over and over again that unmerited suffering is redemptive. The innocent blood of these little girls may serve as a redemptive force that will bring new light to this dark city. – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (Hines). The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing not only horrified a city it also informed a nation of the hatred and prejudice that still existed in the south. Many people were nonchalant to the fact that African Americans were treated less than a human being. Others seen it as a problem that they didn’t want to get involved in. At times we believe that hate is something we are born knowing how to do, which is untrue. Hate is a taught behavior, while love on the
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This was during a time in which majority of African Americans were poor in both finances and education. This church provided hope for the people. Hope that change would come and equality would reign. Several times the city of Birmingham tried to tear down the church, but all efforts fell. The church members wouldn’t allow their house of worship to fall. To them God had never forsaken them so they would not leave him. As the years passed they would continue serve and praise God despite the efforts of many to exterminate them. The Church would come to host some of the society’s most prominent citizens including W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington. Such citizens were the very foundation of the Civil Rights Movement (Brooks) …show more content…
By 1963 homemade bombs were continually set off in black homes throughout Birmingham this gave the city the nickname “Bombingham”. These bombs were made by the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan were the main cause of violence and uproar. Such bold violence and widespread hate made Birmingham the key city of the Civil Rights Movement. Not only was the city itself very outspoken against blacks but so was the state as whole. Rosa Parks faced racial injustice years before just miles away in Montgomery, though black political leaders saw this as an opportunity to make a stand, Birmingham offered a far more greater chance at national publicity. For many years the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Congress of Racial Equality took met and discussed the movement inside of the church. Protests were a common occurrence in the city many of which had a lasting in impact because of their violent endings. One being the Children’s Crusade of 1963. (National Park Sevice) . On the morning of September 15, 1963 at exactly 10:22 am a bomb was detonated killing four young girls. They were attending Sunday school in the basement of the church. The victims were Addie Mae Collins 14, Cynthia Wesley 14, Carole Robertson 14, and Denise McNair age 11. The death of these four girls not only outraged the city but the entire nation. The streets were filled with chaos. To make matters worse no one was arrested. Though violence broke out, Dr. King insisted
This was during a time in which majority of African Americans were poor in both finances and education. This church provided hope for the people. Hope that change would come and equality would reign. Several times the city of Birmingham tried to tear down the church, but all efforts fell. The church members wouldn’t allow their house of worship to fall. To them God had never forsaken them so they would not leave him. As the years passed they would continue serve and praise God despite the efforts of many to exterminate them. The Church would come to host some of the society’s most prominent citizens including W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington. Such citizens were the very foundation of the Civil Rights Movement (Brooks) …show more content…
By 1963 homemade bombs were continually set off in black homes throughout Birmingham this gave the city the nickname “Bombingham”. These bombs were made by the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan were the main cause of violence and uproar. Such bold violence and widespread hate made Birmingham the key city of the Civil Rights Movement. Not only was the city itself very outspoken against blacks but so was the state as whole. Rosa Parks faced racial injustice years before just miles away in Montgomery, though black political leaders saw this as an opportunity to make a stand, Birmingham offered a far more greater chance at national publicity. For many years the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Congress of Racial Equality took met and discussed the movement inside of the church. Protests were a common occurrence in the city many of which had a lasting in impact because of their violent endings. One being the Children’s Crusade of 1963. (National Park Sevice) . On the morning of September 15, 1963 at exactly 10:22 am a bomb was detonated killing four young girls. They were attending Sunday school in the basement of the church. The victims were Addie Mae Collins 14, Cynthia Wesley 14, Carole Robertson 14, and Denise McNair age 11. The death of these four girls not only outraged the city but the entire nation. The streets were filled with chaos. To make matters worse no one was arrested. Though violence broke out, Dr. King insisted