RNS-ARCHIVE-PHOTO 072413

(1963) A man falls to his knees in prayer amid shattered glass from windows of the 16th Street Baptist church and surrounding buildings in Birmingham, Ala. Four young girls dies as a racist's bomb exploded at 10:22 a.m. on Sept. 15 during worship services and Sunday school sessions.  In the following outbreak of violence throughout the area, two young black men were shot to death. Pleas for effort to stop further bloodshed were issued from government, civil rights and religious leaders across the nation. Religion News Service file photo