Many whites were as outraged by the incident as blacks and offered services and condolences to the families. sent a telegram to Alabama Governor George Wallace, a staunch and vocal segregationist, stating bluntly: 'The blood of our little children is on your hands." The brutal attack and the deaths of the four little girls shocked the nation and drew international attention to the violent struggle for civil rights in Birmingham. Upon learning of the bombing at the Church, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. In the moments after the explosion, questions hung in the air-'Where is my loved one?' 'Are they ok?' 'How much longer can this violence last?' They did not ask if this was an accident, they knew that this was a bomb that had exploded as it had dozens of times before in "Bombingham."ฤก6th Street Baptist Church interior after the bombing Addie's sister Sarah survived, but lost her right eye. In the basement, four little girls were killed-14-year-olds Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and 11-year-old Cynthia Wesley. As a bomb exploded under the steps of the church, they sought safety under the pews and shielded each other from falling debris. Just before 11 o'clock, instead of rising to begin prayers the congregation was knocked to the ground. It was Youth Day and excitement filled the air, they were going to take part in the Sunday adult service. In the basement of the church, five young girls, two of them sisters, gathered in the ladies room in their best dresses, happily chatting about the first days of the new school year. On September 15, 1963, the congregation of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama greeted each other before the start of Sunday service. 16th Street Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama
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