16th Street Baptist Church opens education and visitors center on 63rd anniversary of Birmingham church bombing

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

The 16th Street Baptist Church has opened a new education and visitors center in Birmingham’s Civil Rights District 63 years after the church was bombed.

The center’s purpose is to educate people on the church’s history and the events that happened on and after September 15th, 1963.

On that day, Ku Klux Klan members planted a bomb beneath the steps of the church. The bomb not only killed 4 little Black girls, but it also injured over 20 people and severely damaged the building.

Pastor Author Price says their goal for the center is to turn a tragic event into a call for change.

“We’re not just opening up a building; we’re opening up a new beginning,” said Price. “We’re on this journey where, when people come to Birmingham, when they come to the Civil Rights District, they’re not just getting a history lesson; they’re getting a challenge on what do I do with the history that I’ve learned?”

The 16th Street Education and Visitor Center is open for tours. Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for youth 18 and younger, The center is located at 1512 Sixth Avenue North in Birmingham.

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