A Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama
April 22, Birmingham
Our pilgrims prepared for their second day in Birmingham with Morning Prayer [YouTube video] and then traveled to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI), part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument and an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is a cultural and educational research center that promotes a comprehensive understanding of the significance of civil rights developments in Birmingham. Founded in 1992, BCRI reaches more than 150,000 individuals each year though award-winning programs and services.
Diocese of Maryland pilgrims gathered at 16th Street Baptist Church. Photo by Valerie Woody
After lunch our pilgrims toured and prayed at the 16th Street Baptist Church.
During the Civil Rights Movement, the 16th Street Baptist Church served as a meeting place for the organization of marches and other civil rights activities.
On September 15, 1963, the church was bombed, resulting in the deaths of four young Black girls: Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Addie Mae Collins — all 14 years old, and 11-year-old Denise McNair. Sarah Collins Rudolph was severely injured in the bombing, and two boys were murdered that same day in Birmingham: 16-year-old Johnny Robinson and 13-year-old Virgil Ware.
16th Street Baptist Church is still an active church in the Birmingham community today, in spite of its tragic past.
Peter Sabonis shares his thoughts in this reflection written after visiting 16th Street Baptist Church.
Our pilgrims ended their day with a tour of the A.G. Gaston Motel, followed by dinner with time for discussion and reflection at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Birmingham.
Arthur George Gaston was Birmingham’s first Black millionaire. In addition to his namesake motel, which was listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book, he ran a bank, radio station, funeral home, and construction firm.
Built in 1954, the motel played a central role in the Birmingham campaign. Many civil rights leaders stayed in its rooms, and its courtyard was also the site of numerous press conferences related to the campaign. Gaston paid Dr. King’s bail when he was jailed in Birmingham in April 1963. The next month, bombs were set off near the room where King was staying just weeks later.
Video Reflections
The Rev. Angela Furlong and the Rev. Pan Conrad chat with our guide, Dr. Rubye Howard Braye of Peter’s Way Tours in the video window below.
Resources
16th Street Baptist Church Reflections by Peter Sabonis [PDF]
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
“The Four Spirits” Memorial Sculpture by Elizabeth MacQueen
Birmingham Civil Rights District [16th Street Baptist Church, A.G. Gaston Motel]
Sarah Collins Rudolph [survivor of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing]
Reading Suggestions from Dr. Rubye Howard Braye, our guide from Peter’s Way Tours
Do the Work!
An Antiracist Activity Book by W. Kamau Bell and Kate Schatz
My Grandmother’s Hands
Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
Join our pilgrims in prayer as they make their way through Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma. Throughout their journey they will share reflections and experiences with you in a variety of ways – prayers, photos, images, and videos are on our Facebook page, through emails, and on our Maryland Episcopalian storytelling website.
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About Truth and Reconciliation in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
The work of reconciliation is a fundamental calling for the Diocese of Maryland. Reconciliation builds on our understanding of history, provides energy for the present, and forms the foundation to our future as faithful members of the body of Christ. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is an ongoing commission focused on enhancing existing efforts to eradicate racism, researching the history of slavery in our diocese and its residual impact, as well as reparations.
