Sep 15
Another September Terror
When you think of terrorist attacks during the month of September, at least in the past seven years, the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Penatgon are the ones that jump to mind first.
But another kind of terrorist attack happened in the month of September, and it happened 45 years ago today, on a quiet Sunday morning, when several men connected to a Ku Klux Klan group planted sticks of dynamite outside the basement of the 16th Street Baptist Church, a black church in Birmingham, Alabama. Shortly after the sermon ended, as young children were walking towards the basement for closing prayers, the dynamite exploded, killing four young girls.
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church had been a rallying point in the civil rights movement, and the bombing was clearly meant to send a stern message.
A message that some, unfortunately, would still like to send today. What does it take for some people to learn from tragedy and past mistakes? And why does it sometimes take so long?
September 16th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Yes, I agree that this is terrorism as much as 9/11. Thanks for pointing that out and shaming me into awareness that I don’t know key dates in my lifetime (well, I wasn’t quite born yet when this one happened!).
September 16th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I was four when this happened and still remember. The faces of the children made it all real even to a kid. Thank you for reminding me.