childhood. coming home one day from my grandparents s house, a bomb we felt a bomb go off, heard apan explosion. and my father put us back in the car and said i m going to police. and she said they probably set the bomb. there were 50 unsolved bombings in birmingham alone. so many in fact the city itself earned a nickname, folks started calling it bombing-ham. but it was the one that happened here on a sunday morning in september of 1963 that awakened a country and changed the movement. my sister janet had this little black purse. and we was running and catching it like, you know, like we were playing ball. and we laughed and played all the way to church. now in her early 60s, sarah collins rudolph will never forget that fun filled september stroll to 16th street baptist church.
it was the one that happened here on a sunday in september 1963 that awakened the country and changed the movement. we were having such a good time. my sister had this little black purse. we have was running and catching it, like we was playing ball. we laughed and played all the way to church. church was 16th street baptist. the place where organizers planned many of the movement s marches, and where thousands of kids swarmed out to oppose the jim crow laws. she remembers that morning like it was yesterday. she and her older sister joined the group of little girls changing into their choir robes in the bathroom. i heard a loud sound, boom! and it just scared me so bad. it was so loud, all i could call was, jesus! and i called addi, addi, addi. and i didn t know what had