today, i begin with a tribute to virgil ware and johnny robinson. these american heroes and birmingham naturetives lost their lives within hours of the of the bombing. while many of us have heard the stories of the four little girls that perished in that bomb, many are unaware on that same day virgil and johnny were also victims of unspeakable and senseless violence. the third s of six children. one of his surviving brothers, melvin ware, describes virgil as a special child who was exceptional in his educational endeavors. while his brothers were preparing for social gatherings, virgil could be found reading a good book or r rusing the en-- perusing the encyclopedia. he expressed his siblings that he was looking forward to joining them at the local high school the next year. he fell victim to a tragedy that would change the ware family and this community forever. virgil, who sat on the handle bars of his brother's bike, was headed to a paper route on the outskirts of birmingham in september of 1963. the brothers rode past a group of men who just lef