Full Breakdown
New Education Center Opens at 16th Street Baptist Church on 63rd Anniversary of 1963 Bombing
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Opening of the Education and Visitor Center
On the anniversary of the September 15, 1963 bombing, the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, unveiled a new 13,000-square-foot education and visitor center. Hundreds attended a memorial service, wreath-laying, and ribbon-cutting. The facility houses exhibit space, oral-history recordings, artist-in-residence studios, a community quilting room, a restaurant called “Koinonia,” and meeting areas for lectures and concerts. Church leaders say the center will serve as a place for reflection and ongoing civil-rights work.
Background & Context: The 1963 Bombing and Its Aftermath
On September 15, 1963, nineteen sticks of dynamite planted beneath the sanctuary exploded as four African-American girls prepared for Sunday service. The blast killed 11-year-old Denise McNair, 14-year-olds Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins. Their 12-year-old sister, Sarah Collins-Rudolph, survived with severe injuries. Twenty-two other congregants were injured. Decades later, three Klan members—Robert Chambliss (convicted 1977), Thomas Blanton Jr. (2001), and Bobby Frank Cherry (2002)—were sentenced and died in prison. The church is now part of the National Park Service’s Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.
Data & Statistics
- Fatalities: 4 girls
- Survivor: Sarah Collins-Rudolph (severely injured)
- Injured: 22 reported
- Convictions: 3 Klan members (1977, 2001, 2002)
- Center size: 13,000 sq ft with multiple program spaces
Official Statements & Responses
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, Alabama’s first Black congresswoman, recalled the tragedy on the House floor and noted the Four Little Girls received a Congressional Gold Medal in 2013.
On-the-Ground Reports
Sarah Collins-Rudolph remembered “freshening up after Sunday school” when the explosion occurred, highlighting the lasting personal trauma.
Verbatim Quotes
- “And today we have those same voices, and we have to stand against those voices by being committed to truth and justice,” — Bryan Stevenson
- “People from every race, gender came out today to bear witness and so for me that’s exciting,” — Dr. Terrence Brown
- “We should always say these girls name, they had their whole lives ahead of them,” — Shayla Martin
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
One source cites 22 injuries in the 1963 blast, while other accounts focus only on the four girls killed and the survivor, leaving the total non-fatal injury count unresolved.