Brief history of Birmingham, Alabama through Miriam’s art…
This year marked sixty years since the racially motivated bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama killed four black girls–Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Carol Denise McNair–and seriously injured a fifth, Sarah Collins Rudolph.
Miriam was 28 at the time and living, working, and painting in Birmingham. This work was done by Miriam shortly after the attack. “It was a terrible event and affected us all in Birmingham. The sadness of losing those girls was an awful thing.”
We remember these girls and their families today and acknowledge the ongoing work of reconciliation and restitution that needs to be done in our communities. We hope that one day this historically significant work can be a part of a public collection in Birmingham.