The city of Birmingham is joining with multiple partners to commemorate in September the 60^th anniversary of the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church, which killed four little girls, shocked the world and sparked federal policymakers to move forward on civil rights legislation.

From Sept. 10 through Sept. 16, the city will host the 2023 Forging Justice Commemoration Week. Among the planned events are a series of discussions with national thought leaders; a conference on healing; art interpretations; a film screening; visits by international dignitaries and a keynote address by Associate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Jackson.

“In the aftermath of that fateful day on September 15, 1963, our city and our nation had to take a hard look at itself and reckon with the devasting effects of hate and racism,” Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin said in a news release. “Today, in the spirit of the four little girls, we work to be better and honor them by preserving our history and building a future worthy of their sacrifice.”

The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, today. (contributed)

Throughout this year, the city, area churches, arts organizations, businesses and nonprofits have commemorated the 1963 Birmingham civil and human rights movement. Alabama News Center has also been marking the anniversary with “Bending Toward Justice,” an ongoing series of stories and videos about that year in Birmingham.

Here is the lineup for the 2023 Forging Justice Commemoration Week:

• Legacy Voices of the Movement Community Conversation – The Ballard House Project Inc. presents a community conversation with nationally recognized educator, advocate and mathematician Freeman Hrabowski and members of Birmingham civil rights families Sunday, Sept. 10, at 3 p.m. The Ballard House is in the city’s Civil Rights District at 1420 Seventh Ave. North.
• There is a Balm in Gilead: Healing from the Events of 1963 – Historic Bethel Baptist Church, in the city’s Collegeville neighborhood, will host a conference on individual and community healing Sept. 12-14 at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel. More than 30 breakout sessions will focus on healing from racial trauma, conflict resolution and more. Keynote speakers include pastor, teacher and author Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas; Kevin Lindsey, CEO of the Minnesota Humanities Center; Elizabeth Silkes, president of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience; Hassan Jefferies, author of “Bloody Lowndes,” and others. For details and to register, click here.
• Dawoud Bey: The Birmingham Project – The Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA) presents the exhibition “Dawoud Bey: The Birmingham Project.” Opening Sept. 14, the exhibition consists of a series of diptychs by renowned photographer Dawoud Bey that pays homage to the legacy of the bombing while celebrating the resilience and strength of the Birmingham community. On Sept. 13, Bey will be the speaker at the BMA’s annual Chenoweth lecture with distinguished scholar Imani Perry. Together, they will delve into the intersection of art, history and social justice. The lecture is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception. Find more information about the lecture here.
• Birmingham 1963-2023: Creating a Path to Reconciliation – On Sept. 14, in remembrance of the events of 1963, the Ballard House Project Inc. and its partners invite the Birmingham community to engage in critical, intergenerational dialogue with scholar, author and nationally recognized thought leader Eddie Glaude. The event will highlight messages from civil rights family members and inspirational music. The event is free and will take place at 16th Street Baptist Church, 1530 Sixth Ave. North. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; the event begins at 6 p.m. Register here.
• 4 Little Girls documentary screening – The Morgan Project will host a screening of the Spike Lee documentary “4 Little Girls” on Sept. 14 at the Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema, 1821 Second Ave. North. There will be a virtual introduction by Lee. The screening begins at 5 p.m., and at 7 p.m. there will be a conversation with survivors and the victims’ families. For details, click here.
• Watsons Go to Birmingham School Field Trip Day – Christopher Paul Curtis’ book “The Watsons Go to Birmingham” will be brought to life with a hands-on, curriculum-based field trip for fourth to eighth graders on Sept. 14. Students will listen to ’60s music, play jacks and hopscotch, read poetry by Langston Hughes and map out the route the Watsons took from Flint, Michigan, to Birmingham, Alabama. There will also be a vintage car show sponsored by the Iron City Cruisers and the Dixie Vintage Auto Club, featuring a 1937 Plymouth like the Watsons’ “Brown Bomber.” The event runs from 9 a.m. until noon with an optional screening of Spike Lee’s “4 Little Girls” for middle schoolers at the Lyric Theatre at 1 p.m. 
• Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Commemorates Church Bombing – The historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the church bombing on Friday, Sept. 15, at 9:30 a.m. The morning will feature a litany and reflection, music by the Carlton Reese Memorial and Miles College choirs; words from the First Minister of the Economy for the United Kingdom and a keynote address by the first African American female U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Ketanji Jackson. For more information, go to 16thstreetbaptist.org.

Also, ongoing through Sept. 15 – Through His Eye: The Photography of Chris McNair – an exhibition at City Hall that highlights the work of the late photographer Chris McNair, displaying images he captured during the civil rights movement, including one of his late daughter Denise, who was killed in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing. The exhibit is on the second floor of City Hall, 710 20th St. North. Visitors can view the collection Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sept. 15. For details, click here.

And taking place Sept. 24, don’t miss the Four Little Girls play. As part of the Human Rights New Works Festival, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church joins Red Mountain Theatre for a reading of Christina Ham’s “Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963.” The one-act play brings joy, life and music to the story of Denise, Carole, Cynthia and Addie Mae, innocent children living in a divided country. Shows are at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Red Mountain Theatre Arts Campus, 1600 Third Ave. South. Buy tickets at redmountaintheatre.org.

For updates about the 2023 Forging Justice Commemoration Week, visit birminghamal.gov/forgingjustice.