Face to Face With Our Ugly History

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Recently every time I’ve made a trip through the “Deep South” I’ve visited a place that has a strong Civil Rights connection. Today I came face to face with some of the ugliest history segregation and racism had to offer. I took a tour of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The church itself has a long, rich history of being a house of worship. It was founded in 1873 as the “First Colored Baptist Church,” the very first house of worship for African-Americans in the newly-founded city of Birmingham. Additionally, it was actually owned by the congregation (thanks to a minister who emphasized being careful with money, which was a precious commodity for blacks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries). When the Civil Rights struggle began in the late 1950s Birmingham became known as Bombingham. There were fifty dynamite bombings in the city, most of them unsolved (of course). It wasn’t unique to Birmingham, of course: even Rev. Martin Luther King’s home was bombed in Montgomery, Alabama in 1956. His response: “If you have weapons, take them home. He who lives by the sword will perish by the sword,” the latter part a quote from Jesus in Matthew 26 as He was being arrested to be tried and crucified. The one that most people remember is the one that happened at the 16th Street Baptist Church on September 15, 1963. To see the brick building today, you wouldn’t know. The stained glass windows are lovely. However, the markers around the building and the museum in the basement, not too far from where the four young girls were preparing for a youth day service when nineteen sticks of dynamite hidden beneath an outside staircase exploded, killing them instantly, tell the story that the repaired brick and mortar does not. There are three short films shown during the 75-minute tour. The first one is the spiritual story of the church, reminding everyone that this is an active, vibrant church (even with a lower attendance since covid), preaching the Gospel to the community in word and deed. The second film deals with Virgil Ware and Johnny Robinson, two youths (ages 13 and 16, respectively) who were killed in violence the same day, unrelated to the church bombing. Finally, there was the short film “10:22.” It was shown in a cramped room that had a church wall clock that was stopped at 10:22, when the dynamite went off, displayed on the wall. This dealt with the bombing itself, the four young lives lost, and the reaction throughout the city and the country. After these films, and looking at the various displays on the walls of the museum (remember, this is in the basement of a church that’s still very active, so the parishioners probably see these horrible reminders when they’re having pot luck dinners), it was time to go upstairs to see the sanctuary. It’s quite beautiful, complete with stained glass (depicting the famous “Behold, I stand at the door and knock” portrait of Jesus) that was repaired after the bombing. In the back is a gorgeous stained glass window, a gift to the church from the country of Wales. After hearing of the disaster, people in the nation presented the window, depicting a crucified Jesus and the words “You do it to Me” (Matthew 25:40), to the church. It was dedicated when the church was reopened in 1965. The ugly history and the forgiveness taught by Christ and acted out by His children are there for all to see. And all need to see it. COLLAGE: (Top left) Marker at the exact place where the dynamite was planted in 1963. The staircase that was there was destroyed and not replaced. (Top right) The “Wales Window,” the stained glass gift to the church from the people of Wales. (Bottom left) A marker for the four victims, with the 16th Avenue Baptist Church sign in the background. This is the side of the church where the bomb was placed. (Bottom right) The front door to the church.