girls who were getting ready for sunday school that morning. denise mcnair, carl robertson, addie may collins and cynthia wesley. the church was a gathering place for civil rights leaders including dr. martin luther king jr., and it was the headquarters of the children s crusade when young marchers demonstrated in the streets, braving the dogs and fire hoses. but on september 15th, 1963, the church was targeted by the kkk, a bomb exploded in the basement near a room full of children. the bombing just a few weeks after the march on washington shocked a nation and left an indelible mark on everyone who lived through it. i recently talked about that with condoleezza rice who as a child in birmingham at the time of the bombing my dad s church was only about two miles from 16th street baptist church. so it was like the ground shook. and for kids in birmingham of my