Never Forget

Today I joined fellow Kids in Birmingham 1963 contributors who were in town for a weekend long retreat.  Each of us were growing up in this city during the Civil Rights Movement and have our own stories to tell. I was fortunate to join the group today for services at the 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of the September 15, 1963 church bombing. We gathered before for a group photo surrounding Birmingham artists Elizabeth MacQueen's beautiful memorial sculpture, The Four Spirits.

A special thank you to the congregation at the church for a warm welcome. I wish you all could have heard that wonderful message and music. It was very special sitting in that sacred space on this day.

* Many of the members of this group live here in Birmingham are eager to come speak to school or other groups in at the Birmingham area.  Contact Ann Jimerson on the website for more information.

Lenten Photo a Day Practice - Day 3 Sacrifice

So many sacrificed during the Civil Rights Movement, and here in Birmingham, we have never forgotten. The Eour Spritis, by Birmingham sculptor Elizabeth McQueen is a powerful tribute to the four young girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963. In the distance, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.  Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham.

For the next 40 days of Lent, I will be posting a photo each day using the list from RethinkChurch.org. I've been wanting a project to push my photography and I hope you will enjoy my offerings and maybe some of you might want to join as well. #rethinkchurch

Marching...

Later today, I will join hundreds of women (and men) in Kelly Ingram Park as part of the national Women's March. The shoes, part of Elizabeth Macqueen's powerful sculpture, The Four Spirits, seemed appropriate for this day.

Freedom!

This exquisite sculpture if part of Birmingham artist Elizabeth Macqueen's Four Spirits. Honoring the four little girls who died in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963. The church stands behind.

The Four Spirits

The Four Spirits, honoring the memory of Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley was created by Birmingham native Elizabeth MacQueen. It stands in Kelly Ingram Park, across the street from the 16th Street Baptist Church where they died on September 15, 1963. The bomb that took their lives was planted at the church by four Ku Klux Klan members. Next to the church stands a peace pole that reads, "Let there be peace on earth." Indeed.

May We Move Forward

This day in 1963, a bomb ripped through the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham and killed four young girls and injured more church members. It propelled the Civil Rights Movement forward to honor the lives lost that day. Our city had made great strides since that awful day, but we and our nation have a long way to go to erase racial prejudice in this country. May those lives lost be not in vain.

This sculpture, The Four Spirits, exquisitely created by Birmingham sculptor Elizabeth MacQueen is placed just across from the church in Kelly Ingram Park.

For more information, from people here in Birmingham who lived during this time in 1963, I urge you to visit, Kids in Birmingham in 1963. a site where many of us here in Birmingham, share our stories. 

Connecting

Elizabeth MacQueen's beautiful sculpture,Four Spirits, is a tribute to the four young girls whose lives were cut short when the 16th Avenue Baptist Church was bombed in 1963. MacQueen's piece was installed at Kelly Ingram Park to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the bombing. I have photographed it many times. Often I find it becomes a sacred space for those seeing it for the first time. 

Sunday Church Series - 16th Avenue Baptist Church

On September 15, 1963, this church was bombed by Ku Klux Klan members killing four little girls. This was taken from Kelly Ingram Park. It shows Elizabeth MacQueen's powerful Four Spirits sculpture with the church in the background.

Leaf

Yesterday, I was at Kelly Ingram Park again, photographing Elizabeth MacQueen's marvelous THE FOUR SPIRITS for her. This single leaf caught my eye blown between the two bronze shoes.

City Daily Photo Theme Day - Best of 2013

Today, the first day of January, 2014 the CDP bloggers around the world have chosen the photograph that they feel is the best of 2013.  My choice was easy this year.  Today I repost Addie Mae's Shoes , part of the beautiful sculpture The Four Spirits by Birmingham native Elizabeth Macqueen.  The work was unveiled in September during commemorative events marking the 50 year anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing that killed for dear little girls.  Macqueen's beautiful sculpture stands at the corner of Kelly Ingram Park, across the street from the church.

Please click HERE to see the images that my fellow CDP blog friends have chosen as their favorites for 2013. 

Feeling the Connection

Several weeks ago I revisited The Four Spirits memorial at Kelly Ingram Park to take a few more photos for the sculptor, Elizabeth MacQueen.  While I was there, this fine looking school group, who had traveled all the way from Kentucky was kind enough to pose for me.  I love visiting this memorial.  It seems everyone that sees it is drawn to put their hands on the pieces.  A wonderful connection.

City Daily Photo Theme Day - Details

Birmingham sculptor, Elizabeth MacQueen's powerful sculpture The Four Spirits, was unveiled on the 50th anniversary of the bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church taking the lives of four innocent little girls in 1963. Pictured here is Cynthia Wesley sitting on the bench with an open book in her lap.  Look closely and you see it's an excerpt from Y.B.Yeat's poem, The Stolen Child.

Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Today my City Daily Photoblog friends around the world are sharing their take on this month's theme......details. Click here to see them all!

Addie Mae's Shoes

  

In the sculpture of the Four Spirits ,  by artist Elizabeth MacQueen, Addie Mae Collins is kneeling on the bench barefoot, her Sunday shoes on the ground beside her.  I was touched by the marigolds sprinkled around her shoes and on the bench, obviously picked from the flower bed just behind.  A sweet remembrance.

The Four Spirits

The Four Spirits is a steel and bronze sculpture by Birmingham native Elizabeth MacQueen.  MacQueen's vision for a memorial of the four young girls killed in the 16th Avenue Baptist Church bombing in 1963 was unveiled over the weekend at Kelly Ingram Park. I went down on Monday to photograph. As you can imagine, there were many there to see it and just watching the crowd that gathered was very moving for me. Many took photographs, some stood in silence and touched them.  Today an image that moved me.  I will share many more details as this work begs to be photographed up close so that the symbolism intended can be appreciated. I realized when I looked at my photos that I didn't really get a good overall view for you. I will go back this week for that. For now and the next few days, I will share special details that spoke to me.

I found this interesting comments from the artist HERE.