16th Street Baptist Church Essay

In 1963, a month after Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech rang harmonies of freedom and equality throughout the United States, Klan members set off dynamite in the sixteenth Baptist Church. The resulting explosion and compromise in the integrity of the building killed four girls. These girls, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Denise McNarr were the victims of this atrocity. The events that followed furthered the bloodshed. Thousands of black protestors flooded the streets in protest of the horrific acta that took place in the sixteenth Baptist street church [2]. It was not until 2001 and 2002 when some of the men responsible for the crimes would be prosecuted and eventually convicted. Though the intent of the bombing was to instill fear and panic into the black community, what came about was unity and a call to action.

Additionally, Birmingham and other southern urban areas had been the scenes of bombings coordinated at African Americans and social equality nonconformists. “One of the tragedies of the struggle against racism is that up to now there has been no national organization which could speak to the growing militancy of young black people in the urban ghetto (Carmichael).” One of the tragedies of the battle against bigotry is that up to now there has been no national association which could address the developing militancy of youthful dark individuals in the urban ghetto. This shows how even today things have curved in a good way because of leaders who stood ground and believed that this was not the right way.

Alabama was often the epicenter of civil rights activism and steadfast perseverance for African Americans during the 1960s. It is where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led his congregation and where four little girls were murdered and 22 citizens were injured when the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed. It is also where Dr. King and other activists planned the march on Washington, where he and others leaders like John Lewis were met with violence but ultimately claimed victory in the Selma to Montgomery March of 1965. And who could forget the powerful images of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade of 1963, where young, non-violent protesters were met with high-power water hoses, beaten with batons and threatened by police

Even as the inspiring words of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech rang out from the Lincoln Memorial during the historic march on Washington in August of 1963; racial relations in the segregated South were marked by continued acts of violence and inequality. On September 15th a bomb exploded before Sunday Morning services at the 16th street Baptist in Burmington, Alabama- a church with a predominantly black congregation that served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. Four young girls, aged 11 to 14, Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie

During the Civil Rights era, Black churches were well established social and political power bases for African-Americans. Their enormous presence naturally sanctioned them with the political power to lead Black people in the movement for civil rights. In the late 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s, the Black Church functioned as the institutional center for Black mobilization. They provided an organizational base and meeting place, for African-Americans to strategize their moves in the ongoing fight against racial segregation and oppression. As Black Churches became the epicenter of the social and political struggles for Black equality, they increasingly became targets for racially motivated violence. An extensive assault on members of a Black community took place by burning a Black Church. The bombing and burning of Black churches during this time translated into an attack on the core of civil rights activism, as well as upon the larger Black religious community. The most infamous example of racist American church destruction occurred on September 15, 1963. When the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, was fire bombed, the explosion was felt by the entire Black community. Four children killed in the attack, several others injured, and a community's sense of security within their church was forever

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) mobilized students to protest about the disenfranchisement and segregation plaguing their city, they organized marches, sit-ins and boycotts, however these protests did not get much support from other civil rights leaders as they saw SNCC as troublemakers. It wasn’t until December 1961 that Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) became involved. The authorities in Albany decided that there were to be no ‘Martyrs’ to the cause, the police reacted calmly and without violence, protesters were arrested and released, there was no media attention, no national outcry with is ultimately why the Albany movement failed, the protesters failed to get the nation on their side. Another problem was the different civil rights organization such as SNCC and the SCLC failed to co-operate. This was a significant cause to the Birmingham movement because if Albany had not happened the way it did, then Martin Luther King Jr may have never gone to

In 2015 there was a racially motivated shooting at a historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina (Horowitz, Corasaniti, and Southall). There was a total of nine victims total that died (Horowitz, Corasaniti, and Southall). Local Church leaders felt that there was no other explanation than racial discrimination (Horowitz, Corasaniti, and Southall). Later investigators ruled the shooting a hate crime fueling the fire on the confederate monument removal.

In 1963, Martin Luther King became the most known civil right leader of his time. During this time Martin Luther King gave a speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington. Many whites in the south at this time did not see any racial harmony that King spoke of that would happen (Black History Timeline). Not long after some white supremacist bombed a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama killing four young African American girls. The church bombing was the third one Birmingham had in eleven days. This happened a few days after the government started to integrate schools. This was a dangerous time and area to integrate because Birmingham, Alabama had one of the most dangerous and strongest leading KKK (Black History Timeline).

The word “Christian” in Colorado Christian University is more than just a belief shared amongst the Faculty and Student Body. It is the foundation on which all aspects of the educational experience are built. Beginning with a strong Statement of Faith, which aligns with core beliefs of the National Association of Evangelicals, the University proclaims its belief “in the Bible as being the only authoritative Word of God, that God exists in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as well as belief in the salvation and resurrection that is only found in Christ Jesus” (Statement of Faith at Colorado Christian University, n.d.).

White supremacy groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, committed evil acts of violence towards the black population. “The Ballad of Birmingham” depicts one of these horrific events. Once the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, discrimination was outlawed based on race, color, religion, gender, or national origin. It gave equal rights to African Americans. Eventually, much of the hatred between blacks and whites would cease.

During the 1960s, Birmingham was the supreme racially divided cities in the United States. With the forty percent of the African-American population in, but there was clear racial divide with 10,000 were black out of 80,000 registered voters. African Americans, was the victim of segregationist policies. The city was suffering with the segregation and the political authorities were documented for their antagonistic and ferocious behavior against blacks. During years of 1957 and 1962, several homes and 17 “Black Churches” was bombed. An American Civil Rights campaigner, Shufilesworth home was also targeted. SCLC member and Birmingham minister Fred Shufilesworth on May 1962 suggested

I decided to go to a Baptist Church here in Miami. The reason that I chose Coral Park Baptist Church was because most Baptist Churches that I called here in Miami had the service in Spanish but Coral Park Baptist had an English service as well. I went to the eleven o’clock service on Sunday. The whole church itself was pretty big. There is the main temple that has the regular service in Spanish and then there is a whole other building that has separate classrooms where the English service is held and other Sunday school type classes are held.

made up of mostly older adults. This led me to believe that the service may

In April and May of 1963, Birmingham, Alabama was a focal point for the civil rights movement. Birmingham was home to one of the most violent cells of the KKK and violence against black people was so commonplace (especially in the form of explosives) that it was referred to as “Bombingham.” It was these conditions that lead Martin Luther King to arrive and organize a series of non-violent protests in the city. These protests were relatively low key and weren’t very well attended. This was due to the fact that political rivalries between King’s organization, the SCLC, and other civil right’s organizations like CORE and the NAACP. However, the Birmingham protests soon became headlines due to the response of the city’s police

In my own life experience, I became aware of my state of sin in my early teenage years. Through the ministry of the Word at Holy Trinity Church of Murree in Pakistan, I had a clear understanding of the saving grace provided by the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I embraced that grace in my youth and began a lifelong spiritual journey. I was baptized as an infant but was confirmed as a teen ager which helped me reflect on my sinful nature and the pardoning and loving nature of God.