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the events of sunday, september 15th, 1963, and the young innocent lives that were lost that day transformed our nation. on that day we not only lost the lives of four little girls but we must not forget that two young boys, johnny robinson, 16 and virgil ware, 13, also killed in birmingham within hours of the church bombing. today we know that the movement that transpired from those tragic events liberated not only a people but a nation, a nation gripped, gripped with hatred and apathy. with the recent supreme court decision on the voting rights act we know that progress is

always under attack and that political gains are elusive. old battles become new again and the struggle continues. we still have much work to do. until we reach the day when justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream, we must not stop working towards freedom and equality. i hope this ceremony will help all of us recommit ourselves to the cause of justice and equality. we must combat all efforts to dismantle the rights that freedom fighters died for. this is how we can fulfill the tremendous legacy of addie, carole, cynthia, and denise. while the names of the four little girls will never appear on the roll call here in congress, their legacy truly paved the way for me and so many others to serve here in congress. i know that the journey that i

now take as alabama's first black congresswoman would not be possible had it not been for the journey of addie, carole, denise, and cynthia. [ applause ] others sowed the seeds for the harvest we now reap. i'm without question where i would be without the influence of the little girls but question where america would be. the premature deaths awakened slumbering consciousness of america and galvanized the civil rights movement. their memory served as a torch of courage and strength that my dear friend and colleague, john lewis carried as he marched unarmed towards alabama state troopers on that bridge in my hometown of selma.

mra[ applause ] and the depth of their sacrifices burned in president johnson's mind as he signed the civil rights act of 1964 and voting rights act of 1965. our country owes a debt of gratitude to these heroines whose shoulders we now stand. as a beneficiary of their sacrifice i was humbled -- humbled and privileged to have the honor to have my first piece of successful legislation to honor these four girls with the highest civilian honor that congress can bestow. in the midst of what has been called a dysfunctional congress, to have bipartisan support for such a bill in such a small period of time is indeed an honor, not only to myself but to my colleagues, republicans and democrats alike. [ applause ]

i was so proud all of my colleagues from alabama's congressional delegation joined me as original co-sponsors of the bill putting aside partisan politics, we joined together in our deep love and appreciation of alabama's special roll in the civil rights movement. my proudest legislative moment in congress was to control the floor of the united states house of representatives with my friend and colleague congressman spencer bachus as member after member spoke about the four little girls and their special place in history while their families observed from the gallery. thank you, spencer, for your support and your friendship. [ applause ] two weeks later on may 24th, 2013, president obama signed the bill in the oval office as we all watched with pride, knowing that his journey, his journey as president of the united states was proof positive that the four

little girls did not die in vain. a special thanks to richard shelby who introduced a bill in the senate and in his own special and unique style secured the necessary 67 co-sponsors in record time. [ applause ] you know, i was an intern for congressman -- senator shelby when he was my congressman from the seventh congressional district. and i know that only in america is it possible to have such a full circle moment. thank you, senator. i'm proud that we were able to garner such overwhelming bipartisan support for this bill with a tremendous support of the entire alabama congressional delegation. senators shelby and sessions and house member congresswoman martha brooks roberts, adderholt

and bonner. while i know none of this would be possible had the majority leader eric cantor not gone on the great pilgrimage with faith and politics to selma this year and made the promise if we got the necessary two-thirds co-sponsors that he would indeed put the bill on the floor. thank you, eric. [ applause ] i want to thank the leadership of both parties, especially the speaker for being so gracious and your wonderful office for making this ceremony possible today. and while we know we can never be able to replace the lives lost or the injuries suffered, we do know that this gold medal will serve as a compelling reminder that the price of freedom is never free. the four little girls serve to have their proper place. they deserve to have their

proper place in history as true heroines as the civil rights movement and i'm proud and honored and privileged today to be part to bestow this honor on carole, cynthia, addie and denise. may their souls rest in peace and our hearts forever be touched by the sacrifices that were made so that all of us could reap the many benefits that are so wonderful in our country. thank you. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, the representative from the sixth district of alabama, the honorable spencer bachus. >> thank you, terri, we received a memo from speaker boehner and leader reid that said if we

spoke more than two minutes we would be tackled like an alabama linebacker tackling an lsu bengal. knowing terri, i shortened my remarks in anticipation. so john, i'm going to move along. the first book of the bible, the closing passages from genesis says, as for you, you meant evil against me, but god meant it for good to bring about that many people should be kept alive as they are today. thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. these perpetrators of really what was the worst day in the history of birmingham, the

darkest day, they meant evil and were filled with hate. but god took those ashes and took that tragedy and turned it into something still tragic, still heartbreaking, but resulting in a civil rights movement and a movement for good, for peace, for love. [ applause ] >> those little girls, innocent as they were, shed their blood. but not without a result. and so i say to the families, they will join rosa parks as true heroes of the civil rights

movement and it's very fitting that she would look over us today as we talk about them because they have joined her in history. and let me say something else, as steny hoyer and i have talked about, john lewis and eric, it was a nonviolent movement and john lewis and i went to india and retraced gandhi's steps and he patterned it as nonviolent. it was nonviolent only to those advocating equal rights. there was a lot of violence directed at them. but as on this day in birmingham, the families, martin luther king, john lewis, fred shuttlesworth chose not to return good with evil and not to

return hate with more hatred. and the civil rights movement in america, if you understand nothing else about it, know that because of the courage of people like john lewis, it remained a nonviolent movement and what we're seeing in syria, what lib da and i saw in belfast when a bomb went off, we are not experiencing that today because of the commitment to peaceful settling of our grievance, peaceful resistance, standing up and fighting and going to jail but not resorting to violence. and that is the legacy that we ought to thank everyone who participated in this movement. thank you, very much. [ applause ]

>> september 15th, 1963, it was a sunday like any other in birmingham, alabama. families went to church. congregations prayed. at the 16th street baptist church, four little baby girls, looked like baby girls to me, the age of my grandchildren, went to sunday school. they were dressed in their sunday best, prepared to lead in the service and excitingly talking about their first days of school. little did anyone know that morning that these four little girls would lose their lives simply because of who they were and what they looked like and where they were standing and where they worshipped. little did anyone know in a moment of unspeakable heartbreaking tragedy they would become tragic icons of a movement, symbols of a struggle for equality.

addie mae collins, her sister sara with us, carole robertson, her sister diana, and cynthia wesley, denise mcnair, her parents with us. their names remain seared in our hearts and certainly in yours, we know that, 50 years later. they left their families and community and their country far too early. yet as reverend dr. martin luther king declared at a memorial service days after the bombing, quote, their death says to us we must work passionately and unrelentingly for the realization of the american dream. just a few weeks after the "i had a dream speech" he was evoking the realization of the dream sadly though.

today that same message endures. their legacies at the gold medal states remain quote, pivotal in the struggle for equality. still inspire our flight to establish justice and perform a more perfect union and rel lies the dream, the dreams of four little girls and dream of a nation that loves and values all of america's children. several years ago, i had the privilege of traveling with reverend lewis -- i call him reverend, like a preacher to us, our colleague, john lewis, spencer bachus with us as well and steny hoyer has gone on many trips and many more to come i'm sure.

and we visited the 16th street baptist church in birmingham. it was so heartbreaking to just be there in this place that looked so normal, that such an extraordinary thing had happened. these little girls, it was a highly emotional experience that i don't think any of us will ever forget for anyone who visits that sacred ground, it is also a call to action. that experience in other travels in civil rights monuments impressed upon me and others who were there, that every american should visit these sites. anyone who travels the country to visit the patriotic sites of america, should go. they are as important to our history as concord and lexington, independence hall in philadelphia and yes, the united states capitol, shaped our history, shaped our future. earlier this year i was telling

dr. pijeaux that i had the privilege to travel to another one of these sites, civil rights memorial in montgomery, alabama, which reports the names of martyrs of the movement, told me we had to come back, all of us, and go to the -- to visit him at the -- now what is it? i want to say the exact right name. he is the president and ceo of the birmingham civil rights institute. we all have to go there too on our tour of patriotic places. many of the names tell the story of the lives sacrificed crossing bridges, registering voters, taking freedom rides, marching for equality, stories of the struggle, yes frederick douglas, struggles and patriotism and also of the sacrifice. among the names of those who were emblazened in this case, montgomery, were the four little girls, their lives taken in a

simple act of going to church. they were four students, four daughters of birmingham, four innocent victims to the forces of hatred, prejudice, and racism and injustice. their memories must always be a blessing to all of us. their loss must remain a sober reminder of our tasks today. to ensure that equality is a birth right never denied to defend the right of all americans regardless of race, to lead their lives without fear, and with the blessings of liberty and justice for all. now, mention has been made that rosa parks is looking over our shoulder right here. she seems to have always been looking over our shoulders. i remember in march and the speaker brought us together then, thank you again, mr. speaker, for bringing us together when we dedicated the statue. many of us had been earlier in the morning on the steps of the

supreme court because that was the day that the court was hearing the argument, the oral arguments on the civil rights -- the voting rights act. we came over here after that and came over here and dedicated the statue and hoped and prayed that the court made a different decision, rosa parks is looking over our shoulders to see what we're going to do about it. we won't disappoint you, rosa parks. [ applause ] half a century later from the tragedy of losing the little girls, we only hope the senseless and premature deaths of these four little girls still ignite the fires of progress and fan the flames of freedom. we hope we can have the strength and wisdom to live up to their legacies as we award them tearfully the highest honor that congress can bestow, the congressional gold medal. i don't remember us ever giving

this medal to anyone so young, even adding all of their ages together, so young. and usually when we have a ceremony of this kind, it's about celebration and acknowledgements. this one is especially sad. on the positive side, the youth of these children, as i say this medal is usually an honor bestowed, but these children, with their youth, and honor, they bring luster to this medal. it will never be the same. thank you to our colleague for making all of this possible here today. thank you, my colleague. thank you. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, the republican leader of the united states senate, the honorable mitch mcconnell.

>> we gather here today to do honor to the memory of four little girls. addie mae, denise, cynthia and carole. and we gather to recognize the out sized role these girls would play for the struggle for civil rights in our country. we're all familiar with the story. on a sunday morning in september, 1963, a group of men with monstrous designs conspired to place more than a dozen sticks of dynamite beneath a 16th street baptist church in birmingham, alabama, short will birmingham, alabama.

shortly after 10:00 a.m., the dynamite blew killing the girls and injuring many others and breaking the hearts across our country. the force of the explosion ripped through the church, blasting debris over pews and pulpit and crushing cars parked nearby by, injured congregants dazed and bloodied from the explosion, wondering outside. nearly every stained glass window in the building had been blown out, save one. a window that showed christ leading a group of children but with his face missing. the symbolism was potent. after all of the tragedy of september 15th with the latest in a wave of violent acts

convulsing birmingham at the time, and those suffering through it could have been forgiven for feeling as if god had abandoned them for giving up hope and yet as scripture assure us, the lord did not abandon. his flock. today we know that the bombing at the 16th street baptist church was a decisive turning point in the civil rights struggle. it did not stamp out the embers of freedom but fanned them. and as news of the tragedy spread, widespread revolution spread, widespread revulsion gave way to political action. pressure mounted and soon paved the way for passage of landmark legislation in washington. attitudes too began to change radically.

looking back it's amazing to see how far we've come since the days of bombingham. and selma. and yet the deaths of carole, cynthia, addie mae and denise, remain as senseless as they were tragic. and i know the denial of justice for so many made the hurt that much worse. so i want the family members gathered here today to know that the lives of these children meant something to the history of this country. they helped change our nation and remind us still of the odio odiousness who seek to divide the nation by race, not just through

violence, but the kind of decisive rhetoric we all must unite to defeat. so today we offer this congressional gold medal to the memory of four children who set out simply to attend sunday school, not to become martyrs for our cause. but who ascended nonetheless to the pantheon of americans who in death continue their contributions to our country. for that as a nation we are forever indebted. and i hope this high civilian honor we present today will serve as a permanent reminder of our enduring gratitude. thank you. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the united

states senate, the honorable harry reid. a blast that rocked the 16th street baptist church five decades ago, blood every stained glass window in the church except one. our staffs have talked, and i know he was going to use this reference, but it's worth repeating. listen to this. blew out every stained glass window in the church except one. one window remained was an image of jesus leading a group of children to safety. on that september morning in 1963, there was no safety for those four little girls, addie mae collins, denise mcnair, carole robertson or cynthia wesley.

not even in sunday school. but there really was salvation. not only for the four young ladies but for a nation that outrage sparked by the death of these four innocents united the civil rights movement like nothing had up until that time. as dr. king said at the funeral for these three girls -- three of the girls i should say, quote, god still has a way of bringing good out of evil. dr. king said, god still has a way of wringing good out of evil. while there is perhaps no greater evil than bombing a church filled with little kids on a sunday morning, america's run 50 years of good progress out of that terrible act. today we honor the girls' sacrifice and remember all four of these young ladies, how they

lived as well as how they died. i offer thanks to congresswoman sewell and all those who sponsored this, for their work and dedication in making this progress. as you know around here, it's hard for us to agree on almost anything, but this was frankly fairly easy. and i admire what they've done to get it done so quickly. the loss of four precious children was mourned by their families and friends and also an entire nation. let's talk a little bit about these girls. denise was an activist, only in elementary school. she raised money for charities by doing things in her garage, her family's garage. staging little plays and poetry readings, and she was 11 years old. addie mae was a 14-year-old softball player.

an artist, loved to draw. she was 14 also. cynthia was very good at math and played in the high school band. she was 14 years old. carole was a straight "a" student, a girl scout. she sang in her high school choir, and she was 14 years old. nothing, neither words nor the passage of time, can ease the pain of their loss for loved ones and friends and yes even total strangers felt and feel the loss. i believe there is comfort in the knowledge, as dr. king said, their sacrifice set this nation on a path towards making, and i quote, justice a reality for all of god's children. ladies and gentlemen, the speaker of the united states house of representatives, the honorable john boehner.

>> i want to thank all of my colleagues for their words today, especially my friend, the majority leader, eric cantor, who was instrumental in making this medal a reality. as we prepare for the presentation, i'm going to leave you with this thought. the word -- doesn't just immortalize people in great events but serves in a fundamental purpose, to honor the ideas and blessings that this nation was founded on. one of those ideas, the first one really, is that life is precious. put another way, life is short. these lives were far too short. when we realize that life is short, we focus on what matters and on who matters, why we retreat from the noise to celebrate four young women whose story should be told and retold.

some would call it closure, today they'll call it a ceremony. i would call it just love. love saw us through this and will see us through the trials we all face. pour at that thimble of wisdom dr. king used in his eulogy from the prophet isaiah. and a little child shall lead them. once again, our children have led us to this simplest of notions. they bring us together. they give us hope when -- for when ours runs out. we didn't need a medal to reaffirm this order of things, but we could always use a solid gold reminder. and so the united states mint

authorized by an act of congress struck in the name of the american people a gold medal to commemorate the lives of addie mae collins, denise mcnair and carole robertson and cynthia wesley. may we serve their memories with love and honor. mra[ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated for the presentation of the congressional gold medal by members of the united states congress with reverend pijeaux and with dr. lawrence from the birmingham civil rights institute and arthur price jr. of the 16th street baptist church.

ladies and gentlemen, president and ceo of the birmingham civil rights institute, dr. lawrence pijeaux. [ applause ] >> wasn't that something? [ applause ] good afternoon. when a major part of your

responsibility in the world is to find resources for your institution you must give thanks to congresswoman pelosi for acknowledging the need to visit the birmingham civil rights institute. [ applause ] especially when you have a zero base budget for pr, okay? and let me add a little bit to that and i do understand the importance of this program and the seriousness of it. however, i work at an institution where we always have our hand out, trying to meet ends and have our name referenced at a program like this is very important.

and i'd like the viewing audience to visit our website, bcri.org. you will learn about our programs and also how you can help us. now, with that said, let me move to the task. today i humbly accept this congressional gold medal presented in honor of addie mae collins, denise mcnair, carole robinson and cynthia wesley. on behalf of the board of directors and staff of birmingham civil rights institute and now i like to take the liberty of introducing you to our chair. luwana bradford. would you please stand, luwana?

and with mrs. bradford and i are members of our board of directors. would you ladies and gentlemen please stand? members of our staff are here with us. and we have some friends who have joined us today. our facility has been designated to house and preserve this. i pledge our commitment to tell the story of what happened in birmingham during 1963 and especially on september 15th, 1963 and to use that story as a guidepost, as we look at 50 years forward and where we go from here. on behalf of the institute and the city of birmingham, and i'm going to take another liberty. i want you meet our mayor, william bell senior. [ applause ]

and members of our city council, would you please stand? i want you to see the kind of support that we have. i thank you, mr. speaker, for hosting this wonderful program and presentation. my thanks to members of our alabama congressional delegation, especially the honorable terri sewell, for and the honorable spencer bachus for their sponsorship of this medal presentation, also a special thanks to our u.s. senator, the honorable richard shelby.

[ applause ] and other members of the congressional leadership whose very presence today has such great meaning to us in birmingham. finally i want to recognize the families of the four little girls who lost their lives on september 15th. they represent the ones who paid the ultimate price for freedom. through their eyes, their words, we understand the pain such a loss can bring. but even more, we understand responsibility for telling the story. and keeping it alive for future generations to hear. to experience and to grow from. i am but a representative speaking for everyone gathered here with me. on their behalf, i pledge to treasure this congressional gold

medal, to care for it, to preserve it along with the precious memory of the lives it represents. thank you so much. mra[ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, please stand as the chaplain of the united states house of representatives, the reverend patrick conroy gives the benediction. >> let us pray. blessed are you bethlehem in the land of judah, you suffered king harrod in the murder of your babes, so wrote saint augustine, so many centuries ago. he continued, the death of these children is precious in the

sight of god because of the beattitude they gained so quickly. for already at the beginning of their lives, they pass on the end of the present life was for them the beginning of glory. dear god, these 50 years later as people of faith and hope we struggle still with the terrible death of such innocent ones. addie mae, denise, carole, and cynthia, and yet we trust that their unnecessary deaths and their blood spilled will continue to be the seed of ever greater equality and freedom in our nation. blessed are you, birmingham, in alabama.

you suffered the inhumanity of racial hatred in the murder of your babes. lord god, may the sacrifice of these young girls have a salbific effect in the healing of our nation's racial wounds, amen. you're watching american history tv all weekend every weekend on c-span 3. to join the conversation like us on facebook at c-span history. we continue our look at congressional gold medal ceremonies now. the medal is the nation's highest civilian honor. in february of 2015, leaders from the u.s. house of representatives and u.s. senate presented the congressional gold medal to members of the world war ii first special service

force. this american-canadian special operations team was formed in 1942 and helped to liberate much of europe. the military unit was made up of 1,800 servicemen. the event at the u.s. capitol. the program is about an hour. ladies and gentlemen, the speaker of the united states house of representatives, the honorable john boehner. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon and welcome to the united states capitol. it's good to see all of you