[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 125 (Wednesday, October 6, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H8246-H8250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      40TH ANNIVERSARY OF SIXTEENTH STREET BAPTIST CHURCH BOMBING

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 389) honoring the young victims of the 
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing, recognizing the historical 
significance of the tragic event, and commending the efforts of law 
enforcement personnel to bring the perpetrators of this crime to 
justice on the occasion of its 40th anniversary.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 389

       Whereas the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church of Birmingham, 
     Alabama was constructed in 1911 and served as a center for 
     African-American life in the city and a rallying point for 
     the civil rights movement during the 1960s;
       Whereas on Sunday, September 15, 1963, segregationists 
     protesting the mandatory integration of Birmingham's public 
     schools

[[Page H8247]]

     firebombed the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church;
       Whereas the blast killed Addie Mae Collins, age 14, Denise 
     McNair, age 11, Carole Robertson, age 14, and Cynthia Wesley, 
     age 14, all members of the Church, while they were preparing 
     for Sunday service;
       Whereas September 15, 1963 has been called the darkest day 
     in the history of Birmingham and one of the darkest days of 
     the entire civil rights movement;
       Whereas this act of terrorism raised national and 
     international awareness of the African-American civil rights 
     struggle and galvanized those dedicated to the cause of civil 
     rights;
       Whereas Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 
     the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in the wake of the bombing;
       Whereas the 4 men suspected of the bombing, Bobby Frank 
     Cherry, Herman Cash, Thomas Blanton, and Robert Chambliss, 
     were not immediately prosecuted because authorities believed 
     it impossible to obtain a conviction in the heated racial 
     climate of the mid-1960s;
       Whereas Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley successfully 
     prosecuted Robert Chambliss 13 years after the bombing;
       Whereas after the indictment and conviction of Robert 
     Chambliss the bombing investigation was closed;
       Whereas the investigation was reopened in 1995 due to the 
     efforts of Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Rob 
     Langford and local African-American leaders;
       Whereas in 2001 and 2002 a joint Federal and State task 
     force, under the supervision of United States Attorney 
     Douglas Jones and Alabama Attorney General William Pryor, 
     successfully prosecuted Thomas Blanton and Bobby Frank Cherry 
     with the assistance of State and local law enforcement 
     personnel; and
       Whereas the bombing, the prosecution of the offenders, and 
     the cause of civil rights in general have become national and 
     international concerns: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives, on the 
     occasion of the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the 
     Sixteenth Street Baptist Church of Birmingham, Alabama;
       (1) honors the memory of Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, 
     Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley;
       (2) recognizes the historical significance of the bombing 
     and the enduring impact it has had on the cause of civil 
     rights everywhere;
       (3) commends the efforts of the Alabama Attorney General's 
     office for its successful prosecution of Robert Chambliss in 
     1977, the efforts of the joint Federal and State task force 
     for the successful prosecution of Bobby Frank Cherry and 
     Thomas Blanton in 2001 and 2002, and the efforts of all other 
     law enforcement personnel who worked to bring the persons 
     responsible for the bombing to justice.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson-Lee) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Sensenbrenner).


                             General Leave

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 389 currently 
under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 389, a resolution 
honoring the young victims of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church 
bombing, recognizing the historical significance of the tragic event, 
and commending the efforts of law enforcement personnel to bring the 
perpetrators of this crime to justice on the occasion of its 40th 
anniversary. This resolution expresses the sense of the House and of 
all its Members that the bombing brought shame and sadness to the 
American community.
  As we all know, our country has had a difficult history in the 
struggle to end racial discrimination. Nevertheless, there are some 
events in our history that are so awful that we must never forget them, 
even after the racial situation has vastly improved.
  We are here today on one of these occasions. On Sunday, September 15, 
1963, four little girls, Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole 
Robertson and Addie Mae Collins, went to Sunday School to worship and 
were senselessly murdered by those who practice hate and bigotry.
  In 1977, 14 years after the crime, Robert Edward Chambliss, one of 
the four suspects, was convicted of murder. In 1994, 31 years after the 
crime, another of the suspects, Herman Frank Cash, died before he could 
be prosecuted. In 2001, 39 years after the crime, Thomas Blanton, Jr., 
was convicted of murder, and in 2002, the last of the suspects, Bobby 
Frank Cherry, was also convicted of murder.
  The law enforcement community deserves to be commended for this 39-
year-long investigation that brought justice to the families and 
friends of Denise, Cynthia, Carole and Addie Mae.
  The Sixteenth Street Church bombing did lead to the passage of the 
1964 Civil Rights Act. As we remember that tragic bombing, let us also 
work to meet the goals of the Civil Rights Act so that the deaths of 
those four girls are not in vain.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis) and the 
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) for introducing this resolution. I 
ask for Members' support in passing it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  First of all, let me rise to give overwhelming support to the 
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis), my friend and distinguished 
colleague from the 7th Congressional District, and thank him for his 
leadership in bringing this important resolution to the Committee of 
the Whole today and to my colleague. Let me also thank his cosponsor, 
the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) for this important legislation.
  It is important to note that the gentleman from Alabama's (Mr. Davis) 
leadership was exhibited even in his freshman term. Coming from 
Birmingham, Alabama, he knew the important crucialness of this 
particular legislation.
  This is, in essence, way before we were calling it such, a hate crime 
that occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, 40 years ago. In 1963, four young 
African American girls at the age of no more than 14, their names being 
Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, 
were bombed senselessly at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, and 
this day is considered the darkest day of history in Birmingham. This 
happened because there were those who felt the hatred of color was more 
superior than the respect for human life and human dignity.
  This resolution not only pays respect to the young ladies who lost 
the many years remaining in their lives, but it encourages good law 
enforcement. It is a testament that there is good law enforcement and 
that it helps people when it is done thoroughly and with integrity.
  The act perpetrated in Birmingham was what we consider a terrorist 
offense, and the actors were rightly brought to justice some 13 years 
later. It is important to note that all around the country we look to 
the depth of the work of law enforcement that occurred after the 
tragedy of the bombing in Birmingham in that church one Sunday morning 
as a testament that no act of violence, violation of civil rights or 
murder of innocent persons should go uninvestigated, no matter how long 
it takes.
  This resolution congratulates all of those who persisted to bring the 
perpetrators to justice, and it pays tribute to these young girls and 
their families.
  So I ask my colleagues to support this legislation, and I thank the 
immediate cosponsor, or the author of this legislation, the gentleman 
from Alabama (Mr. Davis), and his cosponsor.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and ask unanimous consent that 
he be allowed to yield time as he deems fit.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to yield 7 
minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis), for 
his leadership and for his vision, allowing us in its 40th year, coming 
to honor or to acknowledge this historic tragedy in the resolution.
  Mr. DAVIS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, let me thank my good friend from 
Texas for yielding me time, and let me begin, as is customary, by 
certainly

[[Page H8248]]

thanking the Chair of this committee and the ranking member of the 
committee, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers).
  I am well aware that in these last several days of the session there 
are a lot of bills competing to make their way onto this floor. There 
is a lot of potential legislation that could have been offered and put 
before this body, and I want to certainly thank them for allowing this 
bill to move forward.
  Let me thank my good friend and my colleague, the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Bachus), from Alabama's 6th District, for making this 
commemoration a bipartisan cause.
  Finally, let me thank my colleagues from the Senate side, Senator 
Shelby and Senator Sessions, who have agreed to do everything in their 
power to move this resolution promptly through the Senate.

                              {time}  1530

  Let me begin, Mr. Speaker, by talking for a moment about that day, 
because it seems so distant and so far away as we stand here in this 
civilized capitol. It is hard to imagine, as people watch this on the 
television screens or in the gallery, that we were once a country where 
four little girls got up one Sunday morning, went to Sunday school 
wearing their Sunday best and never had a chance to make it home. It is 
hard to imagine, standing in this civilized place, that we were once a 
country that was so raw and so full of hate that this kind of crime 
could happen and that years and years would go by without it being 
prosecuted.
  September 15, 1963, was a very different place. America was a very 
different land. And it is fitting that we come here today to call 
attention to these four little girls. Their names, Addie Mae Collins, 
Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley, echo across these 
last decades, and the violence that was inflicted on my city of 
Birmingham, Alabama, rings across those decades as well.
  After I speak today, my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Lewis), will stand here, and I am reminded every time I 
see him of the journey we have made in America in the last 41 years. We 
have gone from a place where four little girls could not find safety in 
the sanctuary of a church to the House of Representatives where 40 of 
us who proudly sit here are African-Americans, and to a U.S. Senate 
that will soon host another African-American.
  We have come a long way from a time where four little girls could not 
find sanctuary in a church to a place where a native of Birmingham, 
Alabama, an African-American, is now our National Security Advisor, and 
another person with Birmingham ties, an African-American, is now our 
Secretary of State.
  But it is still fitting that, as far as we have come, that we take 
the time to think about the tragedy. And I am pleased that my 
colleagues will have an opportunity to pass this resolution that writes 
this violent act in stone so that all future generations can see it.
  Another important part of this resolution is that it honors the law 
enforcement personnel. The reality is, it took 14 years for the Alabama 
Attorney General William Baxley to bring the first of the killers to 
justice. It took 31 years, to 1994, for the Federal Government to 
reopen its investigation, and it took until the spring of 2001 for the 
final killer who still lives to be brought to justice.
  Without the work of the former United States Attorney Doug Jones and 
the former Alabama Attorney General William Pryor, this justice would 
not have been achieved and the indictment and prosecution of these 
killers would not have occurred. Honoring them is an important part of 
this resolution.
  Let me end with just these two observations. Whenever we think of 
this kind of sadness in America, we should also still look to the 
promise in our country. Whenever I hear the eloquence of the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), as this chamber will in a few moments, it 
ought to remind us of the promise that exists.
  It so happens that this September 15, 2004, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Lewis) and I were at this church at a commemorative event. 
He was there as the keynote Speaker. I was there to introduce him. And 
during the course of that service something enormously profound 
happened. We looked up in the balcony, and there was a choir of little 
black girls from Sixth Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, 
and they were standing there singing America the Beautiful, and they 
were waving American flags as they did it.
  I looked over at my colleague and my friend from Georgia, and he had 
a tear in his eye, as did many people who were in that church. And I 
have to say to my colleagues today, Mr. Speaker, that to stand in that 
place, 41 years after four little girls could not even manage to leave 
there alive, and to see those little black girls singing about the 
beauty of their country and waving the flag that we so proudly salute, 
if that does not make you feel proud to be an American, then I do not 
know what will.
  So I conclude today simply by saying that memory is enormously 
important. Commemoration is enormously important. But the real power of 
this institution is to take those memories and translate them into 
contemporary good works; to take the power of those memories and to 
translate them into an enduring commitment to make this country as just 
as possible. So in their spirit, I offer this resolution and, in 
advance, thank this House for passing it.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume to thank the distinguished gentleman from Alabama and to 
say to him that I am glad he has reminded this House of the history of 
Alabama but as well the progeny and the fruits of Alabama that cross 
America's leadership landscape.
  I thank him for paying tribute to these young girls and these 
families who have long suffered, as well as the law enforcement who did 
their job.
  The gentleman mentioned one of our colleagues, and needless to say, 
whenever we have the opportunity to introduce the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Lewis) in any affiliation with the movement, as we called 
it, we can say nothing more than to be so grateful that he has graced 
our presence in this institution by his presence and membership in this 
body. He speaks the truth, but he has lived it as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 4 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague and 
my friend, the dear gentlewoman from Texas, for yielding me this time. 
I want to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Alabama, 
(Mr. Davis), for bringing this resolution before us.
  Mr. Speaker, 41 years ago last month, domestic terrorists bombed the 
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, claiming four 
innocent lives and changing the course of American history. On that 
Sunday morning, four beautiful young girls, Addie Mae Collins, Denise 
McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley went to church and never 
came home. Four young lives, so full of promise, cut short by hatred.
  Church is usually a safe haven, but it was anything but safe when 
segregationists who opposed the integration of Birmingham schools, 
lunch counters, and restaurants targeted the Sixteenth Street Baptist 
Church on Sunday, September 15, 1963.
  As long as I can remember, I will never ever forget that Sunday. It 
was one of the most painful and one of the darkest hours of the Civil 
Rights movement. Within 3 hours of the bombing, I made my way to 
Birmingham. I stood in front of the church and witnessed the 
devastation, the pain and the hurt. I kept asking myself: What is it, 
what is it in human beings, what is it in our makeup that would make us 
so mean, so hateful, and so vicious toward our fellow human beings? 
What is it, what is it in us that would drive human beings to plant a 
bomb in a church on Sunday morning knowing that others will be killed?
  I recall attending the funerals later that week. There was so much 
pain, so much sorrow, so much sadness, so much hurt. As horrible and 
tragic as their deaths were, those four young girls did not die in 
vain. Their blood has liberated not just the Nation, but a people. 
Their murders did not stop integration, as the terrorists had planned

[[Page H8249]]

it. Instead, their deaths shed new light on the struggle for civil 
rights and spurred support for the movement.
  While we in the Civil Rights movement were profoundly saddened by the 
loss of four precious flowers from God, we did not despair. Rather, our 
resolve to continue to fight was solidified. In the words of my friend, 
my brother, my colleague, and mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 
their deaths called us to ``work passionately and relentlessly for the 
realization of the American Dream.''
  In their honor, we persevered. And in their honor, we celebrated the 
passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 
1965.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I think it is fitting that, today, we honor the 
memory of these four young lives and recognize the importance of this 
tragedy in the cause of civil rights for all Americans. Like all my 
colleagues who have spoken before, I ask each of you to join in 
supporting this long overdue recognition by passing this resolution.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time 
remains?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Foley). The gentlewoman from Texas has 6 
minutes remaining.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 2 
minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), and 
to thank him for his commitment to these issues of civil rights and 
justice and this resolution.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman 
from Alabama for giving us the opportunity to honor the memories of 
Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley. 
These four girls were killed over 40 years ago in the firebombing of 
the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. I would also like to 
commend the efforts of the Alabama Attorney General's Office for its 
role in prosecuting the perpetrators of this evil and cowardly act of 
terror.
  The Sixteenth Street Church, a rallying point for the Civil Rights 
movement in the 1960s, was firebombed. Let us honor the memory of these 
girls by ensuring their sacrifice was not in vain. Let us work to bring 
about Martin Luther King's color-blind America. Let us not forget that 
although we have come a long way, there is still much further to go.
  Since this incident, which occurred in the lifetime of most of my 
colleagues in the House, our country has changed profoundly. Black 
parents can thankfully now send their children to church knowing that 
the chances of them being murdered by segregationists is not that 
great. Sadly, they cannot send their children to school confident in 
the belief that they will be educated or safe. Instead, many of them 
must fear they will fall prey to the drugs and violence that plague our 
inner city schools and inner city communities. They may fear they will 
fall prey to poverty, as 4 million additional families did last year. 
Or that they, like 45 million Americans, will not have access to health 
care. I hope that these problems can be addressed as rapidly as earlier 
problems were during the Civil Rights movement.
  So, Mr. Speaker, this day gives us the opportunity to celebrate lives 
that were lost, but also to ensure and make sure that those lives were 
not in vain.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume, and let me just say that we hope in this body that 
tragedies like the bombing in Birmingham would never have to occur 
again. We thank the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis) for honoring us 
by bringing this to our attention and to the attention again of the 
Nation.
  Just a few years ago, in Texas, something that we now define as a 
hate crime, occurred in Jasper County. James Byrd, an African-American 
male, was murdered and, ultimately, his body dismembered. As I close my 
remarks, I want to insert in the Record the words of his daughter, 
Frances Renee Byrd Mullins, in support of the James Byrd, Jr. Hate 
Crimes bill passed in Texas and authored by Representative Senfronia 
Thompson.

                              {time}  1545

  I will not read her statement at this time, but I would simply say 
that this commemorative resolution and statement being made today is 
not only to pay tribute, as I have already said, to these murdered 
young girls but to be able to remind us that we must be ever vigilant 
and diligent in fighting against hatred, hateful acts, murderous acts 
as we have done today by this statement, continued into the history of 
the United States, that we never repeat the past.
  I ask my colleagues to support H. Res. 389.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to give overwhelming support to my distinguished 
Colleague from the State of Alabama, its 7th Congressional District, 
Artur Davis, and to thank him for his leadership in bringing this 
important resolution to the Committee of the Whole today.
  He will come to the Floor to remind us of the act of terrorism that 
occurred in Birmingham, Alabama years ago--in 1963. Four young African-
American girls, at an age of no more than 14, were murdered in a 
senseless bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, and this day 
is considered the ``darkest day in the history of Birmingham.''
  This resolution not only pays respect to the young ladies who lost 
the many years remaining in their full lives, but it encourages good 
law enforcement. It is the testament that there is good law enforcement 
and that it helps people when it is done thoroughly and with integrity. 
The act perpetrated in Birmingham was what we consider a ``terrorist 
offense,'' and the actor(s) were rightly brought to justice some 13 
years later.
  In my Congressional District in Houston, I am no stranger to the 
heinous perpetration of hate crimes and similar terrorist offenses.
  On June 7, 1998 in Jasper County--minutes from Houston in Southeast 
Texas, James Byrd's throat was cut before he was dragged to bits along 
a lonely country road. I would like to share an excerpt from testimony 
given by Mr. Byrd's oldest daughter, Francis Renee (Byrd) Mullins in 
support of the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Bill 87-60 authored by Rep. 
Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston:

       As I come before you today it still sends chills through my 
     body just knowing the reasoning behind my being here. I find 
     it difficult to speak today because moments like these let me 
     know that the fact of the matter is that my father is gone 
     and has been for almost a year. I feel in my heart I am doing 
     the right thing by supporting this bill so that no other 
     family will have to suffer my tragic fate. I do not want to 
     sound rhetorical, but I feel as if I have to tell the story 
     in this way. For a moment, I want you to imagine, if you can, 
     walking home from an anniversary party, when three 
     individuals pick you up, take you to a remote area, beat you 
     repeatedly, then while you are still alive chain you by your 
     ankles to the back of a truck and then proceed to drag you 
     for about two and a half to three miles down a logging road. 
     The point in which you actually die after enduring a 
     tremendous amount of pain and broken bones is when your head 
     and arm are ripped from your body like a piece of paper is 
     torn. Now stop imagining. After coming back from the road my 
     dad was dragged to death on, how can we not want to do the 
     right thing and pass this bill? What if it was your father, 
     mother, sister, brother or even an animal that you love? An 
     animal should not have to undergo what my father went through 
     on the early morning of June 7, 1998.

  Mr. Speaker, hate crimes are real, and they affect the lives of real 
people. This is why I have co-sponsored the Local Law Enforcement Hate 
Crimes Enforcement Prevention Act 2004.
  We must prevent hate crimes from occurring and we must bring justice 
in a timely fashion. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alabama.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I want to thank all the Members who have spoken so eloquently in 
favor of this resolution and who have helped to remind us of this 
tragedy of 40 years ago. This devastating event for this church and 
these families helped bring us together; a wrong put us on the path to 
doing things right. This is a very worthwhile resolution. I thank 
everybody who has helped to bring it forward. I thank the chairman of 
the Committee on the Judiciary; I thank the gentlewoman from Texas and 
others.
  I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Foley). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 389.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof)

[[Page H8250]]

the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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