50 years ago, Baptist church bombing shakes nation

Tonight, a few lives remembered from the Civil Rights era.

They would have been in their early 60’s now — grandmothers, perhaps. Maybe nearing the end of their careers, or enjoying retirements. Instead, Denise McNail, Carol Robertson, Addie May Collins and Cynthia Wesley were killed 50 years ago today in one of the worst acts of violence during the Civil Rights Movement.

They died on a Sunday morning when the church they attended, the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed.

Also remembered tonight, Demetrius Newton, a Civil Rights attorney and Alabama legislator.

Footage courtesy of “Preserving Justice,” Birmingham Bar Foundation, Birmingham Bar Association, Magic City Bar Association, University of Alabama Center for Public Television and Radio; Photo credit: Dionne Whetstone