One of these was Collins' younger sister, Sarah, who lost an eye and sustained other serious injuries. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. and affiliate links. At a funeral for three of the girls (ones family preferred a separate, private service), King addressed more than 8,000 mourners. After decades of neglect, the cemetery records were found to be incomplete and the location of the body had been lost. It wasn't until 1977 that anyone was charged, at which time a Klan leader was convicted for the murders. Pictured here are Johnny Robinson (left), 16, and Virgil Ware, 13. 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. Try again later. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. More than 20 other members of the congregation were injured in the blast. When Addie Mae Collins was born on 31 October 1884, in Texas, United States, her father, Robert Clay Collins, was 39 and her mother, Martha Ann Kennedy, was 22. No one else has ever been tried for the Sixteenth Street bombing. Addie Mae was buried at Birmingham's Greenwood Cemetery. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Cynthia Wesley (6433296)? 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. That spring, their own church had been the center of a campaign against segregation. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley were then interred during joint funeral attended by over 8,000 mourners. Collins' murder remained officially unsolved until the 1970s. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. She attended the 16th Street Baptist Church with her parents, Julius and Alice, as well as her six siblings. There was an error deleting this problem. Soon afterward, the read more, Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet head of state to visit the United States. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. An eyewitness saw four white men plant the bomb. During the next two weeks, Khrushchevs visit dominated the news and provided some dramatic and humorous moments in the history of the Cold War. It was Youth Sunday at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. They marched with Martin Luther King Jr. through overpowering water hoses and vicious dogs. Images of this reality led to reform of the segregation laws, including in schools and at lunch counters. Add to your scrapbook. She also participated in Saturday dance lessons and the science club. cemeteries found in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. The tragedy sparked a surge of support for federal civil rights legislation, and it led to an intensive voting rights campaign in Selma, Alabama. The murders touched off nationwide outrage. Best Known For: Addie Mae Collins was a 14-year-old murder victim whose 1963 death focused public attention on racial violence in the South. Photo by AP Images. The resulting explosion killed four girls Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Denise McNair. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. On September 15, 1963, Collins and three other African-American girls were killed in a terrorist attack perpetrated by members of the Ku Klux Klan. 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. The whole church shook. Addie Mae Collins' younger sister, Sarah, was the last person to see the girls alive. The FBI immediately investigated the bombing, and discovered it was planned by Klansmen in response to the new school desegregation order. English Marchers at a civil rights demonstration in Washington, D.C.,on Sept. 22, 1963, hold posters reading No More Birminghams, in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. There is a problem with your email/password. 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). Condoleezza Rice,who would later become U.S. secretary of state,was among her elementary school friends. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6433296/cynthia-dionne-wesley. I had no idea how leafcutter ants did their job, but this "Ant Lab" clip (below) explains it well in just 41 seconds, and the close-up photography is outstanding. Who will be eaten first? cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Maxine and Chris McNair hold a picture of their daughter, Denise, the day after she was killed in the bombing. As director of theCivil Rights Memorial Center, also operated by the SPLC, I honor the girls spirits every day by making sure that the world never forgets their names names that should be remembered just like those of other unarmed Black people who have been killed recently, includingGeorge Floyd,Breonna Taylor,Tony McDade,Sean Reed,Yassin Mohamed,Ahmaud Arbery,Rayshard Brooksand too many more. Carole Robertson was a good student who loved reading and dancing. God still has a way of wringing good out of evil, he told the mourners. A day after the tragedy, President Kennedy spoke of his "outrage" and "grief" at the Birmingham church bombing. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. 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. And weve watched with horror as a wave of deadly violence takes the lives of innocent people time and time again in Charleston, South Carolina; in Charlottesville, Virginia; in Poway, California; in El Paso, Texas and in Pittsburgh. But the result is that minorities still end up representing a disproportionate percentage of bodies used in research and medicine, and those bodies are still often being used without consent. The lives of all four girls intertwined and tragically ended at 10:21 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963,when a bomb planted by Klansmen outside the ladies lounge at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham exploded, instantly killing them and injuring 20 others. Murder Victim. "When they had exhumed her, the person in the casket had false teeth, dentures. He attended college at Yale University, graduating second in his class. Boing Boing uses cookies and analytics trackers, and is supported by advertising, merchandise Photo by Bettmann/Getty Images. There was a problem getting your location. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Seven years later, the Southern Poverty Law Center was created and began enforcing the Act in civil rights lawsuits. Drag images here or select from your computer for Addie Mae Collins memorial. Robert Chambliss, a member of a Ku Klux Klan group that was seen placing the dynamite under the church steps, was arrested in 1963, but tried only for illegal possession of explosives. This browser does not support getting your location. 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. Check out how leafcutter ants work in spectacular close-up video, Weird science and tech are bringing magick back, Look into the empty eyes of an ancient, giant fish, Start your musical journey with the Populele Smart Ukulele, now only $159.99, Enjoy a new vantage view of your computer with this portable 15.6-inch OLED screen, now only $396, This beautifully refurbished MacBook Pro is a great price for a limited time, Terms Death Year: 1963, Death date: September 15, 1963, Death State: Alabama, Death City: Birmingham, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Addie Mae Collins Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/crime/addie-mae-collins, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: September 4, 2019, Original Published Date: April 3, 2014. Unexplainably, no one was charged with the crime. Farrell Griswold, pastor of Minor Heights Baptist, told the crowd. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. A 73-year-old Klansman named Robert Chambliss was charged with first-degree murder, and the jury found him guilty. the 41st bombing in the city in the past 16 years, Virgil Ware, riding on the handlebars of a bicycle, outrage" and "grief" at the Birmingham church bombing, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. The murders touched off nationwide outrage. ). Or, continue scrolling for the photos of the historic event. Photo by Horace Cort/AP Images. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Family members linked to this person will appear here. In October 1963, Chambliss was cleared of the murder charge and received a six-month jail sentence and a $100 fine for the dynamite. The Klansmen who planted the bomb wanted to terrorize the Black community when they targeted the church the Rev. She also played baseball and was a member of the Brownies. A system error has occurred. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. In 1997 a documentary film on the bombing called "4 Little Girls" was released. 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. At 10:19 AM the bomb exploded, blowing a hole in the east side of the church, shattering windows, walls, and doors and injuring or killing 24 people. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. The whole world had watched in awe as the children in Birmingham made history.