BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

On Sunday, September 16, 1963, members of the Ku Klux Klan placed a bomb at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, in Birmingham, Alabama. Sunday School had just been dismissed when the bomb exploded at the church that had hosted Civil Rights Movement meetings.

In its aftermath, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair (pictured) were killed. In remembrance of the 49th Anniversary of the murders, Benjamin Jealous, President of the National Office of the NAACP issued a call. Jealous requested that all churches to conduct Voter Register on the anniversary of the murders in memory of the victims and what took place at the church. The theme was “Sixteenth Street Baptist Church — Register 16 on 16.”

Rev. W. D. Sims, pastor of St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church responded to the call. He conducted a Voter’s Register Drive in collaboration with the Hillsborough County Branch NAACP.

Rev. Sims urged those who were not registered to vote or those who needed to update their personal information to do so. He set up a table in the vestibule and Ms. Pat Spencer, Secretary of the Hillsborough County Branch NAACP, was on hand to register.

Rev. Sims said, “This was not a campaign effort for any candidate or issue, but to make available the opportunity to give every citizen of these United States of America.”

There will be another opportunity to register or update personal information at St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church on Wednesday, September 17th, at the noon Bible Study. The church is located at 2628 27th Avenue.