Churches Mark 63rd Anniversary of 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing in Birmingham
Faith communities across the country observed the 63rd anniversary of the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed four young girls. Services and remembrances were held on September 15, 2026.
Faith communities across the United States marked the 63rd anniversary of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 2026. The 1963 attack killed four young girls: Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Carol Denise McNair.
The bombing, carried out by members of the Ku Klux Klan, became one of the defining moments of the civil rights movement. The church has since been rebuilt and continues to serve as a place of worship and a national historic landmark.
Congregations in Birmingham and across the country held services of remembrance. Pastors used the occasion to speak about the ongoing work of racial reconciliation and the role of the church in that effort.
The Salt Project, a progressive Christian media outlet, highlighted the anniversary in its weekly theological almanac for the week of September 13, 2026. The publication noted the date alongside other significant moments in church history.
The 16th Street Baptist Church has become a symbol of both the violence of the Jim Crow era and the resilience of the Black church. Visitors from around the world continue to come to Birmingham to pay their respects.
Civil rights organizations and faith leaders used the anniversary to call attention to ongoing issues of racial justice. Several churches held joint services with congregations of different racial backgrounds as a sign of solidarity.
