A Wa-Po article cites the Birmingham, AL church where 4 girls were killed in a 1963 bombing incident during a time of conflict within the turbulent 60s civil rights movement has now been designated as a national landmark!
Yesterday, the Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton signed a proclamation adding the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church to a list of about 2,500 places that carry the title of National Historic Landmark.
The Ku Klux Klan were held responsible for the bombing, and those involved in the bombing were just recently convicted. The last one was convicted in 2002.
This designation should serve as a reminder about what troubles this country went through in modern history. Obviously, we as a country still have more to do for civil rights, social equality, and fighting discrimination.
I admit it is very difficult for me to understand why people would bomb certain people and certain churches. Yet today it is horrible to realize that people are still using the same tactics, but they are now using planes and busses to make a point.
To be frank, I don't want to understand.
During the late 80s when I was in college, some students, including myself, heard that the KKK group was going to demonstrate in an area few miles south of the university. I was a senior at the time, and it was late spring. A large group of students from different backgrounds, races, and experiences dared to show up at a KKK rally to demonstrate at their rally.
There were probably 60 to 80 students among us. With rushed intent, we decided to go to the rally and protest. All of us decided that we need to speak "with one voice." To show unity, all participants dressed in black from our necks to the ankles, and we decided to stand in rows of threes and fours locked in arms, united together.
We packed students in our cars. Although people didn't know each other, we all felt a sense of direct, explicit purpose. I remember that I drove three other students to the designated area. My group arrived about a couple hours from the time when the rally was supposed to start.
As part of the larger group, we stood there quietly waiting for the rally to begin, I could tell some of us were very nervous. Hours earlier, the student leaders prepared us for anything that could happen from name calling to potential physical harm. We wanted this scenario to be a peaceful, non-violent protest. Also, we prepared with contingency plans and escape routes if anything serious was to happen.
Fortunately, when they finally arrived, only a handful of full fledged KKK members and a half dozen neo Nazis walked along the streets.
I have a strong memory of a young, beautiful female neo-Nazi proudly walking along the street. She was very beautiful, with striking platinum blonde hair. She couldn't be more than her early 20s. It was very sad. I wondered how someone so young could have so much hate.
As they finally walked by our protest area, they noticed us and demeaned us with derogatory names. We clenched our arms tighter and held our ground. We were ready for anything. It was like saying to them,
"No matter what you say or do, we will remain here. We are not afraid. We will not be bullied. We stand strong."
I'm glad to hear the great news about the national landmark designation. I got an opportunity to remember past experiences and review past history. I hope that I never forget them.
As I write this post, I didn't realize that this was going to be such a serious entry. Although we live in such a crazy time, I know that God will see us through our personal seasons and tests and our national tragedies. At the end of it, we will be much stronger.
*Sixteenth Street Baptist Church HABS/HAER Photograph
technorati tags: Civil Rights history; National Landmarks; Sixteenth Street Baptist Church; Racism; church bombing
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