‘We’ve still got so much work to do’: People honor lives lost 61 years after 16th Street Baptist Church bombing

By Bryce Oselen

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    BIRMINGHAM (WVTM) — A bomb exploded in the 16th Street Baptist Church on Sept. 15, 1963, killing four little girls, one of which was Kimberly McNair Brock’s sister, Denise McNair.

McNair Brock said the community should never forget its history.

“It’s a lot, you know, a lot of my family went to this church and everything, so it definitely brings back a lot of memories, well I know that there are a lot of people here in Birmingham 40 and up that don’t know about the bombing unfortunately, you know, if they don’t know then the younger generations don’t know,” McNair Brock said.

Hundreds gathered to pay homage to the church and the lives lost on the 61st anniversary of the bombing.

“We saw that today was the anniversary of the bombing that took place here at 16 Street Baptist Church, and we just wanted to come down and pay our respects,” Clarence Boswell said.

“Four little girls get murdered 61 years ago, we’ve had a Black president, and gosh, we’ve still got so much work to do,” David Marlow said.

McNair Brock said keeping track of the past prepares us for a brighter future.

“We have to do our due diligence to go out and seek knowledge; it’s just very important, especially with history trying to be erased,” McNair Brock said.

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