16th Street Baptist Church marks bombing anniversary with a new visitor center

On the 63rd anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, the historic church in Birmingham, Alabama marked the somber occasion with the opening of a new visitors center. The church was targeted by dynamite planted by Ku Klux Klan members which killed four girls - Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Addie Mae Collins - as they prepared for Sunday services in 1963.

The new center aims to educate visitors about this horrific event, urging a commitment to the ongoing struggle for justice. Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, highlighted the present climate of politicians attempting to remove content from museums and attacking civil rights legislation. The bombing occurred during a critical time in the Civil Rights Movement, eight months after Governor George Wallace's pledge of segregation.

Three KKK members were later convicted for their roles in the bombing. The visitors center, located within the National Park Service's civil rights monument, provides space for exhibits, oral history, community projects, and public speaker series, aiming to be a place for reflection and continued engagement with the ongoing struggle for justice.