The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham held a memorial on Sept. 15 to mark the 63rd anniversary of the 1963 bombing that killed four young girls. Speakers — including Mayor Randall Woodfin and Bryan Stevenson — honored the victims while urging renewed civic engagement and hope. The congregation opened the new Education & Visitor Center to help visitors process history, offer educational programming and foster community connections. Its centerpiece, the River Wall, is a dynamic digital installation that memorializes the event and encourages ongoing commitment to justice.
Hope and Resolve: Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Opens Education & Visitor Center on 63rd Anniversary
A view of the 'Four Spirits' statue and the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Hundreds of people filled Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on Tuesday, Sept. 15 to mark the 63rd anniversary of the 1963 bombing that killed Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley. The memorial service combined solemn remembrance with a tone of hope as the Carlton Reese Memorial Unity Choir led worshippers into the sanctuary with hymns and praise music.
Credit: Joshua Jackson and Kelby Dillard
Honoring Lives, Calling for Action
City and civil-rights leaders struck a balance between honoring the four young victims and urging continued civic engagement. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin urged the congregation to preserve what he called 'the spirit of a child — the wide-eyed optimism, the boldness, the enduring hope.' Guest speaker Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, framed the anniversary as a call to action: to 'pick up the baton' and let 'the spirit of these children embrace us.'
Credit: Joshua Jackson and Kelby Dillard
Reverend Arthur Price reflected on the attack's national consequence, noting the deaths 'mattered so much that it got the '64 Civil Rights Act passed and the '65 Voting Rights Act passed.' He emphasized that the church's story 'is not frozen in the past. It is a living story of faith, courage, sacrifice, and hope.'
A New Center For Reflection, Learning, And Community
The congregation marked the anniversary by opening the new Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Education & Visitor Center. Designed to help visitors process the church's history and connect that legacy to contemporary movements for justice, the center provides space for reflection, study and community engagement.
Credit: Joshua Jackson and Kelby Dillard
Dr. Terrance Brown, Executive Director of the center, explained that traditional tours often left visitors emotionally heavy. The new facility offers a place to 'slow down' and sit with complex emotions so they can be identified and channeled toward resolution and action. Programming will include classes, workshops, fellowship events and service opportunities intended to link historical lessons to ongoing efforts for equality and social justice.
Credit: Joshua Jackson and Kelby Dillard
The River Wall
At the heart of the center is the River Wall, a digital-glass installation mounted to the left of the main entrance. Rendered in shades of blue, the panels move in a steady upward flow; the bombing time, 10:22, is noted in a corner while rotating messages of remembrance and resolve appear across the display. The installation is intended as a dynamic pledge to continue work toward healing and change.
Credit: Joshua Jackson and Kelby Dillard
Beyond exhibitions and classes, the center includes community spaces — including a dining room — designed to encourage repeated local engagement rather than single visits by tourists. Reverend Price urged attendees to take lessons from the movement back into their communities and continue the work of addressing injustice, inequity and inequality.
For visitor hours and tour information, check the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church website or the Education & Visitor Center's official pages. Photo credit: Joshua Jackson and Kelby Dillard.
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