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This plaque outside the Sixteen Street Baptist Church honors the four girls -- Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins and Carole Robertson -- who were killed in the 1963 church bombing. (Birmingham News file photo)
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Fundraising efforts to build a bronze and steel memorial honoring four little girls killed in the 1963 bombing of Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church have collected $200,000 of the $250,000 goal, organizers announced this morning.
Four Spirits Inc. will host a fundraiser Thursday featuring Alabama's First Lady Dianne Bentley and Birmingham's First Lady, Sharon Bell, as honorary co-chairs. The event will take place at Wiggins Childs Quinn and Pantazis LLC in The Historic Kress Building.
"We are honored to have the support of Mrs. Bentley and Dr. Bell as we work to memorialize the four girls, whose sacrifice transformed the nation," Four Spirits board member and Birmingham attorney Martha Bozeman said in a press release.
"We look forward to people coming out Thursday to learn more about this project," fellow board member and United Way of Central Alabama President and CEO Drew Langloh said. "Everyone I talk with about this project wants to be involved."
Work on the sculpture is underway in Berkeley, California.
Birmingham native Elizabeth MacQueen created the design for the memorial and has led efforts to construct the life-size memorial. Plans to transport the sculpture will be finalized this week.