Alabama church marks 50th anniversary of bombing

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Hundreds of people black and white, many holding hands, filled an Alabama church that was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan 50 years ago Sunday to mark the anniversary of the blast that killed four little girls and became a landmark moment in the civil rights struggle.

Source

I thought I would post some positive news to lighten the mood on ATS this afternoon. It is great to see people of all races coming together to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the bombing at the 16th street Baptist church in Birmingham Alabama. It is a chance to celebrate how far we have come in the struggle for civil rights. Rev. Bernice King, a daughter of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., noted the changed city in a prayer.

"We thank you father for the tremendous progress we have made in 50 years, that we can sit in the safe confines of this sanctuary being protected by the city of Birmingham when 50 years ago the city turned its eye and its ears away from us," she said.

While things still aren't perfect, I believe that people have come a long way towards recognizing that we are all part of the human race and we must support each other and work together if we want to solve our problems. Moving forward I think it is important that we don't allow Government to drive a wedge between the races. In the mean time it is good to be able to celebrate our progress together.

reply to post by Metallicus


You know, for a long while now I've been interested in the Civil Rights Movement, and it has always been hard for me to understand (even though I know the whys) the simple, direct hatred toward the black community, especially in the south. Of course, the roots are complicated, and the upbringings and cultural practices that perpetuated the racism, the violent acts, the suppression of rights, and the determination to hold the black people down are another discussion in itself. But a hatred to bomb a church? We still have an unsolved case here, the Moores Ford Lynching, what still gets attention, but progress is only slowly being made.

I had the pleasure of working on a local documentary in early 2012 by a local (Georgia) filmmaker (and former chief photographer for a Dc based network) called "Before the Memories Fade: Voices from the Civil Rights Movement," that tells the stories of some of the people involved in the movement who we have not heard about, some of the ordinary people, foot soldiers, and organizers who struggled to further the Civil Rights cause.

While we have come a long way, we still have a long way to go.

One small step forward at a time is better than no—or backward—steps.