60th Anniversary of Birmingham Church Bombing: Sixty years ago, the Ku Klux Klan bombed a Birmingham church, killing four young girls preparing for Sunday services.
Denise McNair, Lisa McNair’s sister, was one of the innocent victims of the explosion. Tammie Fields had to deal with her father being questioned as a suspect in the church bombing, though he was never charged.
After decades, the two women met by chance at a Black History Month event. This meeting sparked an unexpected friendship.
McNair and Fields were born on opposite sides of a haunting civil rights tragedy, but both were affected. Both convey that hate-driven murder is wrong. As the country reflects on September 15, 1963, McNair urges people to remember the fear and work towards preventing its recurrence.
McNair solemnly states, “They killed my sister due to her skin color.” He requests that this anniversary not be viewed as merely another date but as a call to act. What can we do to prevent this crime from happening again? McNair asks a touching question.
The bomb was hidden behind the stairs of the 16th Street Baptist Church. The girls were preparing for Sunday service in a basement bathroom when the bomb exploded. It halted them. Denise McNair, 11, and Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins, all 14, died in the blast. Addie Mae’s sister, Sarah Collins Rudolph, was close to the explosion. She lost an eye and was injured in other ways but survived.
This bad thing happened during the civil rights movement, eight months after Governor George Wallace’s “segregation forever” speech and two weeks after Martin Luther King Jr.‘s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington.
In the end, Robert Chambliss in ’77, Thomas Blanton in ’01, and Bobby Frank Cherry in ’02 were all found guilty. They were KKK members.
Charles Cagle, Tammie Fields’ father, was one of three people taken into custody after the bombing and questioned, along with Chambliss. However, Cagle was not charged. His sole arrest was for possessing unauthorized dynamite, which was no major issue. Later, this line was altered.
When the bomb exploded, Fields had just started her journey through life. She vividly remembers her father, who she claims despised and harbored anger towards black individuals. Racial slurs were common in their home, and Fields was told to dislike her Black friends. She believes God sent her preacher grandfather to help her change and be more accepting. He guided her to a better path.
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Lisa McNair was born one year after her sister’s tragic accident. Her parents were always sad and never recovered from their daughter’s loss. After the tragedy, McNair penned a book titled “Dear Denise: Letters to the Sister I Never Knew.”
Both women planned to attend the same church event, and Fields was eager to meet McNair. It is what united them. McNair was initially nervous about the meeting as he anticipated feeling bad. She said it was like meeting someone connected to her sister’s death. She struggled with her emotions.
It was at a church event with Fields as the primary guest when they met. Fields spoke with McNair, who was seated and didn’t stand out. After the event, the women cried and hugged each other, deeply moved. McNair’s book provides a clear picture of this time.
Their presence together confirmed Fields’ genuine goals. Fields has stayed silent about the bombing’s sad memories for a while. She’s a grandmother with Black children and mixed-race grandchildren. But she changed when she realized the importance of facing hard truths and accepting honesty.
McNair is concerned about current leaders intentionally dividing society. She’s worried about racism and hate increasing. It’s a warning that humanity may have regressed instead of progressed.
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