At 10:22 this morning, a Jewish temple in Birmingham, Alabama, blew the shofar, and churches rang their bells four times. It was at that moment, sixty years ago, that a bomb ripped through the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. It was Youth Day in the historic brick church on Sunday, September 15, 1963, and five young girls dressed in their Sunday best were in the ladies’ lounge getting ready for their part in the Sunday service that was about to start. As Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins were chatting and adjusting their dresses, a charge of dynamite stashed under the steps that led to the church sanctuary blasted into the ladies lounge, killing the four girls instantly. Standing at the sink in the back of the room, Addie’s sister Sarah survived with serious injuries.
That the synagogue blew its shofar four times for those four little girls--something I did not know until I read this letter--was so inspiring I just grabbed my own shofar, went out on my patio, and blew same. I'm sure my Arizona neighbors wondered where the trumpeting elephant came from, but that's okay. I will add this four-pulse salute to my annual shofar ritual. Thanks, Heather.
It is a part of history vital to understand American society today, and events that shaped us as a nation. It is criminal not to teach this. The ignorance-fueled hatred and fear still manifest today in varied amount across the United States. The SCOTUS decision that we are a “post-race” society is just another decision from a court corrupted by Alito, Roberts, and Thomas on the court, and McConnell’s successful effort to stack the court with Barrett, Kavanaugh, and Gorsuch to solidify such decisions well into the future.
To know that generations later, a BIPOC parent has deep worry anytime their child leaves their home about all the things a white parent worries about -but also what might happen if they are pulled over by police. Or are out jogging. Or are wearing a hoodie armed with skittles candy. How can any of us rest until all people are free of such horrific reality?
To whitewash American history is to guarantee it is repeated. What DeSantis is doing in Florida is immoral. The fact that he remains Governor and is now running for President, says a great deal about “post-race” America.
Earlier this week, Charles Blow reported in his New York Times column that Sarah Collins Rudolph, Addie Mae's sister, still suffers from the effects of that bombing. Her eyes were filled with shards of glass, and she lost one but continues to suffer from what remained in the other. She has never received compensation or a direct apology, and she still receives medical attention. Mr. Blow asks what we owe those who suffered as she did simply for enduring the resistance to the struggle for civil rights. I believe that at the very least we can write and teach an American history that includes the suffering of Black people without "damaging" white children who learn about it. This is not just Black history, it belongs to all of us, and this column is a good start.
Thank you Heather! Our brave journalists, activists and book smart lawyers have been holding the wall against ignorant hate, cruelty and injustice. Now it is up to each one of us, no longer to sit on the sidelines, but to vote like our lives depend on it.
And to activate as many others to vote as humanly possible. Otherwise hate and tyranny will win. I refuse to let them destroy the gift that was given to each of us, often with the greatest sacrifice. The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness belongs to each one of us, Black, Brown, First People, LGBTQ folks, women, poor and homeless, not just the wealthy and powerful. I know most everyone on this post believes this… I just have to say it now and then.
And yet, the ghosts of that Cahaba River Group continue to live on. The Cahaba River partially forms the boundary between Jefferson and Shelby County. Fifty years later, the same Shelby County that would be the plaintiff in the Shelby County v. Holder case that weakened the Voting Rights Act.
And now, ten years later the forces of hate and exclusion are back, denying representation to Black voters in Alabama. Hate never went away, it was forced into hiding by courageous, honorable people, but we were lulled into complacency. The fight is never over, the war is never won.
The incription on the block of granite at the Alabama Welcome Center reads, "We Dare Defend Our Rights". But whose rights? Not the rights of those four innocent little girls.
And Doug Jones, gaining 50% of the total vote was elected US Senator from Alabama in a special election on December 12, 2017. He was defeated, in 2020, by former football coach Tommy Tuberville.
Meanwhile, we are facing another round of American violence. The most recent evidence of how that violence has gotten into the minds of politicians is Mitt Romney's memoir. Romney tells us that there were Republican Members of Congress who declined to vote to impeach Donald Trump out of fear of violence against the Member or his or her family; that there were similarly Republican members of the US Senate who voted not to convict for the same reason. Count that as. victory for the Michigan kidnappers, the South Carolina murderers, and the January 6, 2021 insurrectionists.
I shall never forget the TV pictures of Bull Connor knocking young Black children off their feet with powerful jets of water and unleashing attack dogs against these defenseless children. For me he became the symbol of the modern KKK.
In stunning contrast I was galvanized by Martin Luther King Jr’s historic A Letter from Birmingham Jail.
Thank you for this stark reminder. Some 55 years ago, I had lunch with a young reporter who had covered these events, particularly Bull Connor. At one press conference, Connor was asked why he used the hoses before the dogs. Connor responded, “Had to hose the N*** down before the dogs’d touch ‘em.” My lunch date said that his stomach literally heaved when he heard that. Mine still twinges when I think about it…
My brother, Charles Moore, was the photographer who took the photos appearing in LIFE, of the dogs, hoses and such. He and a LIFE reporter were arrested on Bull’s orders. My brother was banned from ever returning to AL, our home state.
Almost 40 years later he returned to live near UNA, near the neighboring county where we grew up.
To think that Doug Jones served for a short time as a Senator from Alabama... And now a former football coach holds that seat-- Coach.Tuberville is holding all branches of our military hostage, allowing no appointments. How low the Senate has fallen. How craven and spiteful the men who purport to represent us... Ugh.
Thank you, Heather. A stunning letter today. I thought back to the Birmingham church bombing in 1963, when I was 14, and compare it to now. It seems we have stood still in some ways. The rampant killing and violence towards all people who are” different” from white people is a very dangerous sign. The escalation of rhetoric by the forces of regression is haunting. Keep us on an even keel in these rough waters. Have a good weekend.
Thank you, Dr. Richardson, for responding to this infamous day. It has been more tan 400 years since the first Africans were brought unwillingly to America. They not only stayed but were responsible for making the Southern autocrats wealthy. We are still battling the same battles today. African American humans are no longer held in slavery, but they are still regarded in too many States as lesser citizens. If we do retake both Houses of Congress and retain the Executive Branch, my dearest hope is that the Federal Government, and all 50 States will pass a decree that there is only ONE genus, One species of humans, Homo sapiens and all Homo sapiens who are citizens of the United States is entitled to the same courtesy, esteem, equality under the law, and most of all respect as all other Homo sapiens.
That the synagogue blew its shofar four times for those four little girls--something I did not know until I read this letter--was so inspiring I just grabbed my own shofar, went out on my patio, and blew same. I'm sure my Arizona neighbors wondered where the trumpeting elephant came from, but that's okay. I will add this four-pulse salute to my annual shofar ritual. Thanks, Heather.
Thank you Heather.
It is a part of history vital to understand American society today, and events that shaped us as a nation. It is criminal not to teach this. The ignorance-fueled hatred and fear still manifest today in varied amount across the United States. The SCOTUS decision that we are a “post-race” society is just another decision from a court corrupted by Alito, Roberts, and Thomas on the court, and McConnell’s successful effort to stack the court with Barrett, Kavanaugh, and Gorsuch to solidify such decisions well into the future.
To know that generations later, a BIPOC parent has deep worry anytime their child leaves their home about all the things a white parent worries about -but also what might happen if they are pulled over by police. Or are out jogging. Or are wearing a hoodie armed with skittles candy. How can any of us rest until all people are free of such horrific reality?
To whitewash American history is to guarantee it is repeated. What DeSantis is doing in Florida is immoral. The fact that he remains Governor and is now running for President, says a great deal about “post-race” America.
Earlier this week, Charles Blow reported in his New York Times column that Sarah Collins Rudolph, Addie Mae's sister, still suffers from the effects of that bombing. Her eyes were filled with shards of glass, and she lost one but continues to suffer from what remained in the other. She has never received compensation or a direct apology, and she still receives medical attention. Mr. Blow asks what we owe those who suffered as she did simply for enduring the resistance to the struggle for civil rights. I believe that at the very least we can write and teach an American history that includes the suffering of Black people without "damaging" white children who learn about it. This is not just Black history, it belongs to all of us, and this column is a good start.
And the people of Alabama replaced Doug Jones with a former football coach who lives in Florida.
Not enough has changed in 60 years.
Thank you Heather! Our brave journalists, activists and book smart lawyers have been holding the wall against ignorant hate, cruelty and injustice. Now it is up to each one of us, no longer to sit on the sidelines, but to vote like our lives depend on it.
And to activate as many others to vote as humanly possible. Otherwise hate and tyranny will win. I refuse to let them destroy the gift that was given to each of us, often with the greatest sacrifice. The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness belongs to each one of us, Black, Brown, First People, LGBTQ folks, women, poor and homeless, not just the wealthy and powerful. I know most everyone on this post believes this… I just have to say it now and then.
An unusually troubling detail in this account:
"the reluctance of the FBI to share its evidence".
And yet, the ghosts of that Cahaba River Group continue to live on. The Cahaba River partially forms the boundary between Jefferson and Shelby County. Fifty years later, the same Shelby County that would be the plaintiff in the Shelby County v. Holder case that weakened the Voting Rights Act.
And now, ten years later the forces of hate and exclusion are back, denying representation to Black voters in Alabama. Hate never went away, it was forced into hiding by courageous, honorable people, but we were lulled into complacency. The fight is never over, the war is never won.
The incription on the block of granite at the Alabama Welcome Center reads, "We Dare Defend Our Rights". But whose rights? Not the rights of those four innocent little girls.
And Doug Jones, gaining 50% of the total vote was elected US Senator from Alabama in a special election on December 12, 2017. He was defeated, in 2020, by former football coach Tommy Tuberville.
Meanwhile, we are facing another round of American violence. The most recent evidence of how that violence has gotten into the minds of politicians is Mitt Romney's memoir. Romney tells us that there were Republican Members of Congress who declined to vote to impeach Donald Trump out of fear of violence against the Member or his or her family; that there were similarly Republican members of the US Senate who voted not to convict for the same reason. Count that as. victory for the Michigan kidnappers, the South Carolina murderers, and the January 6, 2021 insurrectionists.
I shall never forget the TV pictures of Bull Connor knocking young Black children off their feet with powerful jets of water and unleashing attack dogs against these defenseless children. For me he became the symbol of the modern KKK.
In stunning contrast I was galvanized by Martin Luther King Jr’s historic A Letter from Birmingham Jail.
Thank you for this stark reminder. Some 55 years ago, I had lunch with a young reporter who had covered these events, particularly Bull Connor. At one press conference, Connor was asked why he used the hoses before the dogs. Connor responded, “Had to hose the N*** down before the dogs’d touch ‘em.” My lunch date said that his stomach literally heaved when he heard that. Mine still twinges when I think about it…
My brother, Charles Moore, was the photographer who took the photos appearing in LIFE, of the dogs, hoses and such. He and a LIFE reporter were arrested on Bull’s orders. My brother was banned from ever returning to AL, our home state.
Almost 40 years later he returned to live near UNA, near the neighboring county where we grew up.
To think that Doug Jones served for a short time as a Senator from Alabama... And now a former football coach holds that seat-- Coach.Tuberville is holding all branches of our military hostage, allowing no appointments. How low the Senate has fallen. How craven and spiteful the men who purport to represent us... Ugh.
Thank you, Heather. A stunning letter today. I thought back to the Birmingham church bombing in 1963, when I was 14, and compare it to now. It seems we have stood still in some ways. The rampant killing and violence towards all people who are” different” from white people is a very dangerous sign. The escalation of rhetoric by the forces of regression is haunting. Keep us on an even keel in these rough waters. Have a good weekend.
This just kills me. And the descendants of these abominations are today's MAGAts, 60 years on.
Thank you, Dr. Richardson, for responding to this infamous day. It has been more tan 400 years since the first Africans were brought unwillingly to America. They not only stayed but were responsible for making the Southern autocrats wealthy. We are still battling the same battles today. African American humans are no longer held in slavery, but they are still regarded in too many States as lesser citizens. If we do retake both Houses of Congress and retain the Executive Branch, my dearest hope is that the Federal Government, and all 50 States will pass a decree that there is only ONE genus, One species of humans, Homo sapiens and all Homo sapiens who are citizens of the United States is entitled to the same courtesy, esteem, equality under the law, and most of all respect as all other Homo sapiens.
Doug Jones, all too briefly US Senator (D-AL).