This is the 50th Anniversary of the infamous church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, on a Sunday like today. This was an event to take seriously, even if only for a moment ot two today. At Sunday School time, on September 15, 1963, a large bomb exploded from under the front steps of a prominent Africa-American church. The bomb killed four African-American girls, ages 11 to 14, and seriously injuring another, with other injuries abounding as well for others. This cowardly and criminal act stood the hair of thinking Americans on end. But for those who were opposed to American citizen who were "colored," they saw this as a statement that racism and Jim Crow segregation would never yield. We know now the bombers, members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), were aided by police, other powerful people, and supported by even "forward-thinking" business people. The Birmingham Church bombing was not the only bombing of its kind, to the point that the city became know to many as "Bombingham." Oh, but there is more to day on this. In our time, "hoodies" worn by young people of color are so often stereotyped as suspicious, almost as proof of being "up to no good." Well, in 1963, the white hoods of the KKK were white racist badges of honor, worn proudly. When public uproar all across America condemned the bombing, more than one spokesperson appeared to the newspapers, tv, and other media, with hood removed in arrogant knowledge of immunity from local criminal prosecution. When they appeared, they publicly stated that there should be no uproar or concern over dead children. Why? The answer was simple, namely that they were not children, "hey were n******." And the KKK members said it just that way for America and the world to see and hear what became evident: that the very heart and soul of America was at stake here. Contrast that with the statements of the pastors of this church and other African-American congregations, who immediately called for treating their criminal enemies with love and forgiveness before God almighty. The perpetrators of this crime almost got away with it, as the first conviction did not come for nearly 14 years, in 1977, the last conviction being in about the year 2000. Justice was delayed, and delayed. Is there a conclusion. Well, maybe. But, there is also a reference point for Americans to enter in their personal memories. This bombing, (along with its anniversary), is an event to keep in mind when people talk about the genteel and hospitable traditions of The South. The traditions of The South, and indeed in many areas of America, have been slavery, segregation and class warfare, backed up by white racism, itself based on theories of white supremacy or white superiority. The "olde order" of Jim Crow segregation was willing to plot, carry out, preen on, and let slide the mass killing of African-American girls in church--all to keep African-Americans in their place and to continue to define them as less than human. This was to the degree that children in church did not count when murdered. Did not count, because they were not children, they were less than human. The KKK showed up in their hoodies after this bombing, took them off show their own faces in defiance of law and investigators. So, then, let us ask ourselves, what would have happened then, or what would happen today in this secenario: an African-American gang in black hoodies, protected by the police, blew up a white church in a major Southern city, and to the mass media mocked the law, the Constitution, and indeed mocked humanity itself? It would not take 17 years to prosecute. It might have taken, or might today take 17 days. And there you have it, time and material for self-examination.
Posted on: Sun, 15 Sep 2013 21:57:04 +0000
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