On Sunday, September 15, 1963 —shortly before morning services were to begin— the Ku Klux Klan bombed the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, killing four African American girls. The church, long one of Birmingham's most important institutions, played a central role in the struggle for racial equality. Today, along with other local sites (including Kelly Ingram Park and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, across the street), Sixteenth Street Baptist is part of Birmingham's Civil Rights District, attracting visitors from across the nation and world.

Published: 28 February 2007
© 2007 David Wharton and Southern Spaces