16th Street Baptist Church

Addie Mae Collins © Frank H. Jump

Carol Denise McNair © Frank H. Jump

Carole Rosamond Robertson © Frank H. Jump

Cynthia Dionne Wesley © Frank H. Jump

Of course, after running around the artsy-fartsy neighborhood of Birmingham with Charles Buchanan (Fading Ads of Birmingham, History Press 2012) getting our own private tour of fading ads, some of which were featured in his book…

Frank Jump, Charles Buchanan & Vincenzo Aiosa © Frank H. Jump

…we were late to get to the 16th Street Baptist Church, which closes at 5PM. So we were hanging around taking selfies in front of the church and documenting the memorial to the 1963 bombing of the church across the street at the Kelly Ingram Park, formerly called West Park.

The park was named in 1932 for local firefighter Osmond Kelly Ingram, who was the first sailor in the United States Navy to be killed in World War I. In 1992 it was completely renovated and rededicated as “A Place of Revolution and Reconciliation” to coincide with the opening of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, an interpretive museum and research center, which adjoins the park to the west. – Wikipedia

Out of what appeared to be the rectory next door, an older gentleman came out and asked from where we hailed and we replied, “Flatbush.” We said we were hoping to look inside the church and were sorry we arrived after it closed. The gentleman exclaimed that he could “hook us up.” And with that, he led us to the side door where the 1963 bomb was place and let us in. After the Charleston shooting I was surprised he was letting in tourists but I imagine we looked pretty benign. Trust. Restored my faith in it. We were allowed to wander around the church and take pictures unescorted. We stuffed the collection box handily.