The historic 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, recently opened a new Education and Visitor Center—63 years after members of the Ku Klux Klan bombed the church, killing four young girls. The new center aims to educate people about the 1963 terrorist attack while urging a recommitment to the struggle for justice embodied by the civil rights movement.
The opening of the Education and Visitor Center coincided with a memorial service for the four girls killed in the bombing. The service featured remarks from Bryan Stevenson, a public interest lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.
“We’re in a critical moment in America. There is a narrative struggle. There are people who are preaching the politics of fear and anger, and they want to govern through fear and anger,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson stressed that, in addition to the Klan, a “whole network of elected officials” shared responsibility for the 1963 bombing through the implementation and enforcement of Jim Crow.
“And today we have those same voices, and we have to stand against those voices by being committed to truth and justice,” Stevenson added.
Terrence Brown, executive director of the Education and Visitor Center, echoed Stevenson’s message at the center’s opening.
“People from every race, gender came out today to bear witness,” Brown said. “That means there are a lot of people who stand with this idea of remembrance. Now, we just have to move from remembrance to action.”
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin’s office also encouraged Birmingham residents to attend the newly opened center.
“We encourage every Birmingham resident to go, reflect, and carry that call to action into the world,” the mayor’s office stated.
Former Alabama Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor Bill Baxley—who successfully prosecuted one of the perpetrators behind the bombing in 1977—told APR that he is appreciative of the new center and the work the 16th Street Baptist Church continues to do.
“I think it’s a wonderful, wonderful thing,” Baxley told APR. “I think that church continues to be one of the real beacons of the churches in Birmingham. It’s a real tribute to the congregation and the pastors and everybody that’s been there. I’ve got nothing but good things to say and think about them, and I’m thankful that we’ve got something like that in our community, in our state.”
Located at 1512 Sixth Ave. N. in Birmingham, the center has space for various programming, including exhibits, artist residencies and speaking series. Church leaders say they envision the space as a place where visitors can reflect after attending the church and bombing site.
Those interested in visiting the center can find more information on its official website.
