A lesson relearned

One of the tourist stops my husband and I made on our vacation was a Civil Rights Movement tour in Birmingham, Ala. Many remember reading about the march in Birmingham in history books or actually experiencing it 50 years ago. 

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once described Birmingham as the worst racist city in the country. African-Americans young and old in Birmingham seize the opportunity to take a stand for what was right. Journalists and law enforcement documented events and shot gruesome photos of African-Americans being mistreated. Not only were the African-American adults beaten, imprisoned and greeted with the growling and biting of K-9 dogs, but the children were, too. Some may have seen the photos of firemen spraying the children down with fire hoses while they were pressed up against walls.

Many of the firemen and policemen in Birmingham were members of the Ku Klux Klan so the African-Americans living in Birmingham had little protection. In fact, when the Freedom Riders stopped in Birmingham in 1961, 40 college students were severely beaten because the police chief gave law enforcement the day off because it was Mother’s Day. Not only did they have little protection, they were abused by the firemen and policemen as well. There was no safe haven.

On Sept. 15, 1963, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Denise McNair were killed in a bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church. All four were 14 years of age or younger. Not many know about a fifth victim who also was a little girl. She lost an eye in the incident. Four men were arrested, charged and sent to prison for their involvement in the bombing and the murder of the four little girls. The four men were apart of a KKK group. Three of the four men are dead. Thomas Edwin Blanton, Jr. is still serving time in prison. 

Even though I was very familiar with all of the events in Birmingham from my Civil Rights course in college, it is always good to be reminded of what it was like back then and be very appreciative to not have lived during that time period. Sometimes I don’t realize how good I really have it. I think more Americans should visit landmarks that remind people of the darker days in history. 

With America celebrating the 50th year anniversary of the march and church bombing in Birmingham, I hope we will be reminded of the struggles and lives lost during the Civil Rights Movement. It took such a long time for people to realize that discrimination and racial segregation is evil. Hate is not the answer. God taught us to love one another and treat everyone equally. He never mentioned in the Bible that there was a superior race.