Terri A. Sewell

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Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and to honor the lives of four little girls whose lives were taken in one of the darkest chapters of our Nation's history. On the morning of September 15, 1963, four young girls--Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Morris Wesley-- were in the basement of the 16th Street Baptist Church preparing for Sunday school. They were daughters. They were sisters. They were classmates and friends. They had their whole lives ahead of them. Just before 11 o'clock that morning, 19 sticks of dynamite planted underneath the church by members of the Ku Klux Klan exploded. The blast tore through the church, and beneath the rubble were the bodies of four innocent little girls. Sarah Collins Rudolph, Addie Mae Collins' sister, was also in the basement that morning. She survived the bomb but suffered severe injuries, including the loss of her right eye. The tragedy did not end with the bomb exploding. As Black Alabamians took to the streets to demand justice, they were met with violence and brutality, resulting in the loss of two more children: 16-year-old Johnny Robertson and 13-year-old Virgil Ware. For too long, their families were denied the justice that they deserved. It took more than three decades before the perpetrators of this heinous attack were finally brought to justice. Six decades later, we must remember that these were not simply events in a history book. These were children whose lives were stolen because of the color of their skin. While we can never undo the pain of that day, we can ensure that these precious lives are never ever forgotten. Mr. Speaker, in 2013, I was honored to have my very first bill passed by Congress. That legislation awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the four little girls. I will never forget standing in the Oval Office as President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on the 50th anniversary of the bombing. It was a very personal moment for me because I know that those four little girls did not get the opportunity to grow up and pursue their dreams. And yet, 63 years later, I had the extraordinary privilege of walking these Halls as Alabama's first Black Congresswoman. I never forgot that I am here because they are not. Their sacrifice helped galvanize a movement that changed the course of our Nation. Their memory strengthens the resolve of the foot soldiers who march for justice. It helped inspire the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Their legacy brought America closer to living up to its promise of equality and justice for all. But, Mr. Speaker, remembering those four little girls cannot simply be about looking backward. It must also be about what we do today because the freedoms that they died for are not guaranteed. Every generation has a responsibility to protect them and to advance it. That is why we must teach our children the truth about our history. It is why we must never forget what happened on that day and that we must protect the sacred right to vote. It is why we must continue the fight for the equal justice and equal opportunity of every American. It is why, on this anniversary, we must recommit ourselves to the unfinished work of the civil rights movement. Today, I ask my colleagues to pause and remember four precious children: Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Morris Wesley. May we honor their memory not only with our words but with our actions, and may we forever remember that the freedoms we enjoy today come at a tremendous cost--costs that are borne by Americans. We must uphold their legacy, extend their legacy, and we must never ever forget.