The Power of Four: Remembering Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, & Cynthia Wesley

"These children-unoffending, innocent, and beautiful-were the victims of one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity." -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fifty three years ago, Birmingham, Alabama, formulated a terrible equation. It was an equation that only caused further division in our nation. At 16th Street Baptist Church, four men acted out of hate. A hate that would determine four little girls' fate. A hate that festered at the silence of friends, at the complacency of injustice, and at the stagnant spirit of progress. Four men. Four girls. 16th Street Baptist Church.  When I began writing this post, I realized the numbers involved in this tragedy. Four girls were killed. Four suspected murderers. 16th Street Baptist Church.  Four times Four equals Sixteen. Sixteen divided by Four equals Four. Four raised to the second power is Sixteen. There are probably numerous mathematical equations that could be made using four and sixteen. However, in this case I want to use: four raised to the second power.

Power got in to the wrong hands on September 15, 1963. Power, racism, hatred, and privilege got into the hands of four heartless men. Robert Chambliss, Bobby Frank Cherry, Herman Frank Cash, and Thomas Blanton, Jr..   Four men raised their power and took the lives of four innocent girls that Sunday morning at 16th Street Baptist Church. They also scarred the life of survivor, Sarah Collins Rudolph whose name shall not go unforgotten. The tragedy that took place in September 1963 shows the impact of the power of four. What would have happened if power and purpose was placed in the right hands that day? What would have happened to Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley?  We can only imagine what the future would have held for these young girls.  A future Secretary of State,  Condoleezza Rice, lost a friend, Denise McNair, that day.  I could only imagine what would have happened if power went to those four girls that day.  Who would they have become? An educator, a lawyer, a mother, a doctor, a Supreme Court Justice? ​ A four letter word, HATE, took those possibilities away for them. But, a four letter word, LOVE, can make sure it never happens again. LOVE can soften a hard heart. TIME can breed advocates and catalysts for change. Say her NAME and don't let their death be in vain. No matter who you are, you can be a powerful FOURce for Cynthia, Addie Mae, Denise, and Carole. Share their story, speak their names, and honor their legacy. Empower young girls to do what these four girls were not able to accomplish. The lives of those four young Black girls mattered that day. Would you have had the courage to stand up for them? Would you have stopped the evil thoughts that  conspired to killed them? Would you have had the impetus to change policy, hearts, and laws to make sure that it never happened again?  Would your words or actions today be any different from the divisive atmosphere of the 1960s? Listen. Learn. Love. Where would you stand?

To the surviving family members, I honor you. To the survivor,  Sarah Collins Rudolph,  I admire your strength, persistence, and courage. What happened to you, your sister, and friends that day is unfathomable. You are an inspiration.

-Justice She Wrote (September 15, 2016)