Black History 365 | # 207 Denise McNair

Denise McNair was born on November 17, 1951 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. She died on September 15, 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. "She was the youngest of the four," says Denise's sister, Lisa McNair, standing outside the church just a few weeks before the 59th anniversary of the bombing September of 2022. "She was 11. And the other four girls were 14, just beginning their freshman year in high school." McNair didn't hear that historic eulogy. And she never met her sister Denise. Lisa was born a year after the bombing, her family still grieving. "It's shaped my whole life," she says. Maxine McNair, the last living parent of any of the four girls killed, died in 2022, she was 93.

Black History 365 | # 206 Addie Mae Collins

Addie Mae Collins was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 18, 1949. She attended the 16th Street Baptist Church with her parents, Julius and Alice, as well as her six siblings. On the morning of Sunday, September 15, 1963, 14-year-old Collins was in the church basement room with a group of other children. At 10:22 a.m., a bomb exploded under the steps of the church. Collins was killed in the blast along with Denise McNair, 11, and Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, both 14. In addition to the four fatalities, more than 20 people were injured. One of these was Collins' younger sister, Sarah, who lost an eye and sustained other serious injuries. In 1977, a 73-year-old Chambliss was convicted of the murder of Collins and sentenced to life in prison. Two other perpetrators—Thomas Blanton Jr. and Bobby Frank Cherry—were convicted in 2001 and 2002, respectively. A fourth suspect, Herman Frank Cash, died in 1994, before he could be charged.

Black History 365 | # 205 The 16th Baptist Street Church Bombing

September 15th, 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed. In the basement, four children were killed —14-year-olds Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and 11-year-old Cynthia Wesley. Addie's sister Sarah survived, but lost her right eye. A dozen people were injured as well. This was 18 days after the March on Washington. 16th Street Baptist was a large and prominent church located downtown, just blocks from Birmingham's commercial district and City Hall. Since its construction in 1911, the church had served as the centerpiece of the city's African American community, functioning as a meeting place, social center, and lecture hall. Because of its size, location, and importance to the community, the church served as headquarters for civil rights mass meetings and rallies in the early 1960s. Over, 8,000 people attended the girls' funeral service at Reverend John Porter's Sixth Avenue Baptist Church. Lordhavemercy.

Black History 365 | # 204 Maya Angelou

Poet, dancer, singer, activist, and scholar Maya Angelou was a world-famous author. She was best known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical writing style. On April 4, 1928, Marguerite Ann Johnson, known to the world as Maya Angelou, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Angelou’s interest in the written word and the English language was evident from an early age. Throughout her childhood, she wrote essays, poetry, and kept a journal. When she returned to Arkansas, she took an interest in poetry and memorized works by Shakespeare and Poe. Prior to the start of World War II, Angelou moved back in with her mother, who at this time was living in Oakland, California. She attended George Washington High School and took dance and drama courses at the California Labor School. Angelou was also noted for her talents as a singer and dancer, particularly in the calypso and cabaret styles. In the 1950s, she performed professionally in the US, Europe, and northern Africa, and sold albums of her recordings. In 1950, African American writers in New York City formed the Harlem Writers Guild to nurture and support the publication of Black authors. Angelou joined the Guild in 1959. She also became active in the Civil Rights Movement and served as the northern coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a prominent African American advocacy organization. In 1969, Angelou published I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography of her early life. Her tale of personal strength amid childhood trauma and racism resonated with readers and was nominated for the National Book Award. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has been translated into numerous languages and has sold over a million copies worldwide.

Black History 365 | # 203 Mary Mccleod Bethune

The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Mary Jane McLeod Bethune became one of the most important Black educators, civil and women’s rights leaders and government officials of the twentieth century. Born on July 10, 1875 near Maysville, South Carolina, Bethune was one of the last of Samuel and Patsy McLeod’s seventeen children. After the Civil War, her mother worked for her former owner until she could buy the land on which the family grew cotton. By age nine, Bethune could pick 250 pounds of cotton a day. Her successes on a local level propelled her to the national stage when the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) elected her its eighth national president in 1924. During World War II, she advised President Harry S. Truman and continued to fight for African Americans, particularly for the inclusion of African American women in the WAACS (Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps) and WAVES (Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Service). And she served as an unofficial advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was also was great friends with Dr. Carter G. Woodson and served as the first female president of his organization, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, Inc. (known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Inc. or ASALH) and was also involved in other projects to preserve the history of African American women and the documentation of their achievements. In 1949, she was invited to Haiti to receive the “Medal of Honor and Merit.” She also traveled to Liberia, as a representative of President Truman, where she received the “Commander of the Order of the Star of Africa.” Her legacy continued after her death in May 1955. In her last will and testament from 1955, Dr. Bethune wrote: “I leave you hope. The Negro’s growth will be great in the years to come. Yesterday our ancestors endured the degradation of slavery, yet they retained their dignity. Today, we direct our strength toward winning a more abundant and secure life. Tomorrow, a new Negro, unhindered by race taboos and shackles, will benefit from more than 330 years of ceaseless struggle. Theirs will be a better world. This I believe with all my heart.”