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NEWS AT SIX STARTS NOW. AND WE GRIEVE THOSE FOUR CHILDREN WHO WERE SENSELESSLY TAKEN FROM THIS EARTH AND THEIR FAMILIES AND ROBBED OF THEIR POTENTIAL. THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO SIT ON THE NATION’S HIGHEST COURT REFLECTING ON THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEADLY 16TH STREET CHURCH BOMBING. GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH US. I’M BRITTANY DECKER. AND I’M IAN REITZ. THANKS FOR JOINING US. AT SIX ON SEPTEMBER 15TH, 1963, THE WORLD CAME TO A STANDSTILL AFTER AN ACT OF HATE KILLED FOUR INNOCENT YOUNG GIRLS. ADDIE MAE COLLINS, DENISE MCNAIR, CAROLE ROBERTSON AND CYNTHIA WESLEY WERE KILLED AFTER A BOMB PLANTED BY THE KKK WENT OUTSIDE OF AT THE CHURCH AS THEY PREPARED FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL. THESE CHILDREN, WHO HAD THEIR ENTIRE LIVES AHEAD OF THEM. WHAT INSPIRED FREEDOM FIGHTERS AROUND THE WORLD TOGETHER BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN MARCHED. THEY RALLIED AND CAMPAIGNED TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE HAD EQUAL RIGHTS, SOMETHING THESE FOUR LITTLE GIRLS NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO WITNESS. THIS MORNING, THE PEWS OF THE 16TH STREET BAPTIST CHURCH WERE FILLED AS LEADERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY POURED IN TO COMMEMORATE THIS PIVOTAL EVENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY. OUR TEAM COVERAGE BEGINS TONIGHT WITH �������� 13. LISA CRANE YEAH, LISA, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF SPEAKERS STRESSING THE FACT THAT WHILE WE’VE MADE GREAT STRIDES, WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. YEAH, THAT WAS A COMMON THREAD DURING ALL THE SPEECHES WE HEARD TODAY DURING THE 2.5 HOUR SERVICE HERE AT 16TH STREET BAPTIST CHURCH, IT WAS STANDING ROOM ONLY INSIDE AND THEY WERE PROBABLY EVEN MORE PEOPLE OUTSIDE HERE STANDING IN THE STREET WHO HAD HOPED TO GET IN AND GET ONE OF THOSE COVETED SEATS. SEVERAL DIGNITARIES FROM BIRMINGHAM, THE STATE AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND EVEN SOMEONE FROM WALES WHO TRAVELED 4000 MILES TO BE HERE FOR THE SERVICE ALL SPOKE TODAY. THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW THIS ONE HORRIFIC EVENT EXACTLY 60 YEARS AGO PROPELLED THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND WAS PIVOTAL, PIVOTAL, RATHER, IN MAKING THE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WE’VE SEEN SINCE THEN. BUT THERE IS STILL WORK TO BE DONE, AND THEY URGED EVERYONE TO REMAIN VIGILANT. IT KNOWING WHAT WE’VE BEEN THROUGH WILL ONLY EMBOLDEN US TO LIFT EVER HIGHER THE TORCH OF FREEDOM AND FAIRNESS JUST THIS AND EQUALITY. AND JUST AS WE ALWAYS HAVE, WE WILL HONOR THOSE FOUR LITTLE GIRLS AND ALL OF THE HISTORICAL FIGURES WHO HAVE PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR OUR FREEDOM. NOW. NOW, AS WE SAID EARLIER, THIS TRAGEDY INSPIRED MILLIONS OF ORDINARY AMERICANS TO STEP OFF THE SIDELINES AND JOIN IN THE FIGHT FOR EQUALITY. CONGRESSWOMAN TERRI SEWELL, WHO. ADDRESSED THE CROWD TODAY, SAID WHEN SHE WAS A LITTLE GIRL, SHE LEARNED ABOUT THE TRAGIC BOMBING AND KNEW THAT SHE WANTED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD, WHICH LED HER TO BECOME THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO REPRESENT ALABAMA IN CONGRESS. TODAY, SHE URGED EVERYONE TO FINISH THE JOB. STARTED SO MANY YEARS AGO. LET US REDEDICATE OURSELVES TO PROTECTING AND ADVANCING THE RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS WON BY OUR FOUR MOTHERS AND OUR FOUR FATHERS. THE LEGACY OF THE FOUR LITTLE GIRLS PAVED THE WAY FOR A MORE EQUITABLE AND JUST FUTURE. FOR THAT, WE OWE IT TO THEM TO PICK UP THE BATON AND CARRY IT FORWARD. ALABAMA SENATORS ALSO CALLING FOR MORE WORK TO BE DONE. TOMMY TUBERVILLE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT IN THE 60 YEARS SINCE THE BOMBING, WE’VE MADE INCREDIBLE PROGRESS TO LIVE UP TO OUR IDEALS, BUT ADDED THAT THERE WAS MORE WE ALL CAN DO TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL. SENATOR KATIE BRITT CITED HER FAITH, HER FAMILY AND HER PATRIOTISM AS REASONS TO DROWN OUT BIGOTRY AND MAKE SURE THAT RACISM WILL NEVER HAVE A HOLD ON OUR SOCIETY AGAIN. I WANT TO BRING IN NOW ��������13’S ERIN LEWELLEN. NOW, HE WAS A SENTIMENT REALLY FELT BY EVERYONE IN THAT CROWD TODAY WHO ATTENDED THIS COMMEMORATION, ERIN. YEAH, LISA, TODAY IS A PAINFUL REMINDER IN HISTORY OF THE TRAGIC EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE 60 YEARS AGO TODAY. BUT THIS IS ALSO A REMINDER THAT THE CHANGE TO OR EXCUSE ME, THE THE PACE TO CREATE CHANGE CAN’T STOP HERE. AND THAT’S THE MESSAGE THAT MANY PEOPLE WANTED TO SPREAD DURING TODAY’S COMMEMORATION SERVICE. LET’S GET YOU TO SOME VIDEO SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WHAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY. 60 YEARS AGO. NOW, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE CAME DOWN TO THE 16TH STREET BAPTIST CHURCH TO HONOR THE LIVES OF THE FOUR LITTLE GIRLS WHO DIED DURING THE BLAST IN THE CHURCH’S BASEMENT. MANY RECOGNIZING THE SACRIFICES THEY MADE AND THEIR FAMILIES. ON THIS DAY 60 YEARS AGO. SO EVEN THOUGH SOME SAY THE COUNTRY HAS MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS SINCE THEN, MANY FEEL THERE IS STILL A LONG WAY TO GO. AND THAT’S THE MESSAGE MANY SPEAKERS DURING TODAY’S COMMEMORATION SERVICE SPREAD. BUT NOT EVERYONE COULD GET TO HEAR IT INSIDE. ONE WOMAN SAYS SHE STILL WANTED TO SHOW UP TODAY AND STAND WITH OTHER PEOPLE WHO HOPED TO BUILD ON THE PROGRESS THAT’S BEEN MADE BACK THEN. RACISM. AND TO ME, IT’S STILL EXISTS. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER AS ONE AND JUST PRAY FOR LOVE ALL OVER THE WORLD AND JUST HOPEFULLY PEOPLE TAKE TEND TO IT AND JUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER. NOW, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT DAY FOR EVERYONE AND EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN STORY TO SHARE ABOUT WHAT THEY REMEMBER ON THIS DAY 60 YEARS AGO. AND COMING UP IN THE NEXT HALF HOUR, YOU’LL HEAR FROM ANOTHER WOMAN WHO SHARES HER STORY RIGHT HERE ON �������� 13. BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, WE’RE LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM. I’M AARON LLEWELLYN, ��������, 13. BACK TO YOU. LISA. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT, AARON, THANK YOU SO MUCH. NOW, BESIDES THE FOUR LITTLE GIRLS KILLED IN 1963, THERE ARE OTHER VICTIMS FROM THAT DAY. THE PAIN STILL VERY RAW FOR TWO WOMEN. NOW, EVEN 60 YEARS LATER, ADDIE COLLINS, 12 YEAR OLD LITTLE SISTER, SARAH COLLINS. RUDOLPH WAS ALSO IN THE CHURCH BASEMENT THAT FATEFUL SUNDAY MORNING. FLYING GLASS FROM THE BLAST LEFT HER BLIND IN HER RIGHT EYE. SHE ACTUALLY LOST HER EYE, BUT MIRACULOUSLY, SHE WAS THE ONLY GIRL THAT SURVIVED THIS RACIAL TERRORIST ATTACK. SINCE THEN, SARAH HAS DEDICATED HER LIFE TO HELP OTHER SURVIVORS OF RACIST VIOLENCE AND BE A FORCE OF UNITY AGAINST HATRED. IT’S TIME FOR US TO GET TOGETHER AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER BECAUSE LOOK LIKE A RACE. RACISM IS TRYING TO COME BACK. IT’S NO TIME FOR THAT. WE SHOULD ALL OR LOVE EACH OTHER AND REPENT BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT I HAD TO DO TO GET MY LIFE TOGETHER. RUDOLPH NOW HAS A BOOK OUT CALLED THE FIFTH LITTLE GIRL WITH DETAILS OF HER HEARTBREAKING EXPERIENCE. ANOTHER WOMAN WHO HOLDS A DEEP CONNECTION TO THE BOMBING IS LISA MCNAIR. SHE WAS JUST A BABY WHEN HER BIG SISTER, DENISE, WAS KILLED. AND THROUGHOUT HER LIFE, SHE WOULD WONDER WHAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE TO KNOW HER SISTER, EVEN THOUGH DENISE MAY NOT BE HERE, LISA TAKES SOLACE IN THE FACT THAT SHE’S ALWAYS WITH HER. WE ALWAYS THOUGHT DENISE WOULD HAVE BEEN A LAWYER AND WHICH MEANS SHE COULD HAVE BEEN A JUDGE. SHE COULD HAVE BEEN KATANJI. AND I HOPE SHE A LITTLE BIT OF HER GOALS AND EVERYBODY WHO THINKS ABOUT HER AND HONORS HER THIS WEEK AND COMES TO THE CITY OR COMES TO THE CHURCH SUCH A BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE TO ALL THE VICTIMS OF THIS HATE CRIME. THE DAY WRAPPED UP THE SERVICE HERE, WRAPPED UP, RATHER, WITH LAYING OF THE WREATH AT THE SITE WHERE THAT BOMB WAS PLANTED BY KLANSMEN 60 YEARS AGO TODA