And yet they died nobly. They are the martyred heroines of a holy crusade for freedom and human dignity. And so this afternoon in a real sense they have something to say to each of us in their death.
Delivered on September 18, 1963 at funeral service for three of the children Addie Mae Collins, Carol Denise McNair, and Cynthia Diane Wesley killed in the bombing. A separate service was held for the fourth victim, Carole Robertson.