Despite being born on opposite sides of one of the most horrific events in Birmingham’s history, the two women at South Hampton K-8 School on Monday shared a common goal: provide students a first-hand lesson of learning to love.
The Ku Klux Klan killed four young girls more than 60 years in a church bombing that shocked the nation, leaving wounds that would echo for generations. Those wounds—and the possibility of healing—were remembered Monday as students listened to Lisa McNair, sister of bombing victim Denise McNair, and Tammie Fields, daughter of Charles Cagle, then-an active member of the Klan, who was initially questioned as a potential suspect in the blast, but never charged.
Through years of difficult conversations marked by grief, shame, anger, and accountability, McNair and Fields formed an unlikely relationship grounded in honesty and compassion. Their story challenged traditional ideas of justice and forgiveness, offering students a living example of reconciliation in action…