Sunday dresses, Sunday hats, new Mary Janes, and white socks with ruffles around their narrow ankles. Two young girls tripping lightly down the walk on their way to church. To go to Sunday school and know the smiling Jesus. Use broken crayons to color the pictures and stay within the lines. To pay attention to the lessons and learn what is right and what is wrong.
Two little girls, unsure what Heaven is. It’s so far away. Their young minds had trouble with that. But they would soon learn first-hand. The sudden blast and flash of light would be their teacher.
Two little black girls happily on their way to the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, September 15, 1963.