Alabama exchange plan after church race attack
THE first steps have been taken towards creating an exchange partnership between Wales and an American city that suffered a racist terror attack more than half a century ago.
In September 1963 four young African American girls died when members of the Ku Klux Klan attacked the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, with a bomb.
Described by civil rights leader Martin Luther King as “one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity”, the explosion also caused non-fatal injuries to 22 members of the congregation.
A member of the Ku Klux Klan was convicted in 1977 of murdering one of the girls, but it wasn’t until 2001 and 2002 that two more perpetrators were convicted of all four murders.
A fourth suspect died in 1984 and was never charged.
At the time of the bombing, people from across Wales contributed to the cost of a stained-glass window depicting a black Christ, designed by John Petts, an artist from Abergavenny.
The appeal was co-ordinated by the Western Mail, and the money required was raised from readers within a few days.
Now the Urdd – often described as the largest youth movement in the world – is spearheading plans to create permanent links between Wales and Alabama.
Sian Lewis, the Urdd’s chief executive, has just returned from Birmingham, Alabama, where she met the city’s mayor, Randall Woodfin, officials from the city’s youth department and Pastor Arthur Price, of the 16th Street Baptist Church.
She said: “It was a very moving experience to hear about the terror attack and its impact on the community at the time and since.
“We met a man who on the day of the attack had been attending another
church to hear Rev Martin Luther King preach.
“He told us that he had seen Rev King preach many times, but being told about the bomb attack and the death of the girls made Rev King speechless for the first time.
“We were told that the girls who were killed had been leading the church service and had gone to the toilet at the back of the church, where the bomb was thrown.”
Ms Lewis said she had been told that Wales was the only country that offered the hand of friendship to the city in its time of grief after the bombings.
“It made me very proud of our small nation that people were prepared to show solidarity and love to a city far away.
“We had very good meetings and intend to move forward with the partnership and exchange programme.
“It’s important that young people in Wales know about the American civil rights movement. We’d like to see young people from Alabama coming to Wales and staying in our residential centres in Cardiff Bay, Llangrannog, Ceredigion and Glanllyn, Gwynedd.
“I would also like to see a gospel choir at the Urdd Eisteddfod.”
Ms Lewis was accompanied on the visit to Birmingham by Education Minister Kirsty Williams, who said she wanted details of the terror attack to be taught as part of the new school syllabus.
Ms Williams added: “Wales is very proud of our bond with the city of Birmingham, Alabama, which goes back decades.
“I’m honoured to visit the 16th Street Baptist Church, as it’s important as ever we cherish these links and continue to embrace peace as a shared goal to aspire to.”
Pastor Price said: “The meeting was fabulous and we look forward very much to developing this new partnership.
“The link with Wales is already very important and means a lot to us.
“I would say that around 65% of our congregation know about how we came to have the Welsh window.
“It’s very important that young people learn the value of engaging with people from different cultures than their own.”