Rep. Sewell Commemorates 63rd Anniversary of 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing and Honors Legacy of the Four Little Girls

Washington D.C. — U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) spoke on the House Floor to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and honor the lives and legacy of Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Morris Wesley—the Four Little Girls killed in the attack. Watch on YouTube here . On September 15, 1963, nineteen sticks of dynamite planted beneath the church by members of the Ku Klux Klan exploded as the girls prepared for Sunday service. The bombing claimed the lives of the four girls and severely injured others, including Sarah Collins Rudolph, Addie Mae Collins’ younger sister. The violence continued in the hours that followed, when 16-year-old Johnny Robinson and 13-year-old Virgil Ware were also killed. In her remarks, Rep. Sewell reflected on the enduring legacy of the Four Little Girls and the profound personal significance of their sacrifice. In 2013, her first bill to pass Congress awarded the Four Little Girls the Congressional Gold Medal, which President Barack Obama signed into law on the 50th anniversary of the bombing. "63 years later, I have the extraordinary privilege of walking these halls as Alabama’s first Black Congresswoman," said Rep. Sewell. "I never forgot that I am here because they are not.” Rep. Sewell also emphasized that honoring the Four Little Girls requires more than remembering the past. It demands a commitment to protecting the freedoms for which generations of Americans fought and sacrificed. “Remembering the Four Little Girls cannot simply be about looking backward," continued Sewell. "It must also be about what we do today. Because the freedoms they died for are not guaranteed. Every generation has a responsibility to protect them and to advance them.” Rep. Sewell concluded by calling on her colleagues to recommit themselves to the unfinished work of the Civil Rights Movement and to honor the Four Little Girls not only through words, but through action. “May we honor their memory not only with our words, but with our actions. And may we forever, forever remember that the freedoms we enjoy today come at a tremendous cost.” ###