In My Father's Eyes

Grade 4
by Julie Giroux
Composed for The Alabama Winds, Randall O. Coleman, Conductor

Dedicated to Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley, victims of the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama

    Four young girls lost their lives in the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. Twenty-three other people were also injured in the blast. The bombing was an act of racial terrorism. The church was also a gathering place for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Ralph David Abernathy and Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.

    We remember and honor all of you. We have made strides but not enough. We will praise your lives with instrument and voice. We shall cry again – tears for you, for your family and for the senseless violence that silenced your voices. You were perfect. You were loved. You are missed. Hallelujah.

     I don't mind saying I am afraid to hear this performed. I said their names, I cried for them, wept for them as I composed. I channeled as much sorrow and beauty as I could into every note and phrase. I left nothing on the table. Even so, it is not enough, will never be enough. Four young girls lost their lives in unimaginable violence. We can only pray that our efforts are found worthy by the surviving family members, that we are found enlightened by their sacrifice, that we can come together as brothers and sisters in a mutual gift of healing through music.

- J.G.

MP 99151
Duration: 6:15
Score & Parts: $120.00
Score only: $20.00