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Dudley Randall's Ballad Of Birmingham

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Dudley Randall’s “Ballad of Birmingham” is a poem rich with historical context about the bombing of an African American church during a time of segregation. While the poem also addresses the social context of the event, it is primarily focused on the history behind it. Dudley Randall dove into the hearts of Americans by telling them the painful truth of what happened in Birmingham, Alabama with “Ballad of Birmingham.” On September 15, 1963, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was in the transition from Sunday School to worship services at 10:22 am when a bomb exploded in the African American church. This explosion injured more than 20 individuals and killed four girls: Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley. McNair was 11-years-old, while the others were 14-years-old. A Ku Klux Klan member by the name of Robert Chambliss was arrested and charged with their murder because he was spotted placing the bomb underneath the church’s steps …show more content…

He had great interest in African American’s racial conflicts and civil rights struggles, which he expressed in his poems. He wanted all of America to see the pain of African Americans through their own eyes, but he also wanted America to feel it. “Ballad of Birmingham” “give[s] memorable poetic expression to the feelings of an entire nation” by giving a face to the little girls who were killed and to their mothers. Mothers of all races reading this poem can sympathize for the mothers who lost their daughters, which is exactly what Randall wanted to happen. Randall wanted everyone to understand the heart-wrenching nature of the situation for African Americans (Chow). By emphasizing that the child had “small brown hands,” Randall could express that African Americans feel hurt, too (Randall,

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September 15, 1963 - A bomb blast at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, kills four African-American girls during church services. At least 14 others are injured in the explosion, including Sarah Collins, the 12-year-old sister of Addie Mae Collins, who loses an eye. Three former Ku Klux Klan members are eventually convicted of murder for the bombing. Victims: Addie Mae Collins, 14 Denise McNair, 11 Carole Robertson, 14 Cynthia Wesley, 14 Timeline: September 15, 1963 - Four girls are killed and 14 injured in a bomb blast at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

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