16th Street Baptist Church

Address 1530 6th Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203

The most historically significant Black church in America, the 16th Street Baptist Church stands directly across from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. It served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King Jr. and Fred Shuttlesworth throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, making it a natural target for white supremacist violence.

The church has been meticulously restored since the 1963 bombing. Visitors can tour the interior and see the original stained glass, the basement Sunday school rooms, and exhibits about the four girls killed. The church's pastor leads guided tours on most days; check the schedule at the door. Combined with Kelly Ingram Park next door and the Civil Rights Institute across the street, this forms the emotional core of any visit to Birmingham.

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A story
On September 15, 1963, a Ku Klux Klan bomb hidden beneath the church's east steps killed four young girls — Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Carol Denise McNair — during Sunday school. The bombing galvanized national opinion and accelerated the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The church still holds services today, and its stained-glass windows include a 1965 gift from the people of Wales depicting a Black Christ figure.

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