My First Blog: EOTO: “The Four Little Girls”

The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963, took the lives of four innocent African American girls. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley lost their lives due to white supremacists.

This created a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. Before the bombing in Birmingham Alabama, the 16th Street Baptist Church was a gathering place for people to focus on gaining more civil rights. White supremacists saw how the church was becoming a symbol of civil rights and wanted to put an end to it in hopes of creating more segregation.

The Bombers decided this was how they were going to have to do things to get what they wanted but, in the end, it took away innocent lives and proved too many that needed to be put to an end. The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church had many consequences adding to the existing problems related to racial divisions and discrimination within the United States.

For one thing, it highlighted the tensions with race. Since the bombing happened it created more protests which had a lot of violence. Another thing that happened from the bombing of “The Four Little Girls” was how it caused the news on the case to go international. People were appalled by the bombing which created a lot of media coverage around the world. This ended up causing the United States reputation to become damaged by the racial discrimination taking place.

The bombing inspired many activists to fight during the civil rights movement. The tragic event served as a powerful reminder of the injustices that African Americans faced. After all that had happened with the four little girls, they became symbols for the civil rights struggle.

There are even statues of the girls in Kelly Ingram Park located in Birmingham, Alabama showing just how impactful this event has been on the world. Their deaths were mourned by many in their family and community. Since the girls were so young no one would have thought that they would have been targeted.

Going after these kids showed how far white supremacists were willing to go. The girls will also forever be remembered for the tragedy that happened to them. The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church and the loss of the four little girls were painful reminders of the racial hatred and violence that characterized the civil rights era.

While it got rid of existing divisions in the United States, it also played a key role in creating greater awareness, more support for the civil rights movement, and inspiring many generations. People were committed to creating racial equality and justice for the community.

The memory of the four little girls continues to serve as a powerful symbol of the struggles America has faced having to do with the civil rights movement. In conclusion, the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church and the loss of the four little girls caused the United States toward greater social and legal change in the pursuit of racial equality and justice.