Women on opposite sides of 16th Street Baptist Church bombing share friendship on student podcast
By Ayron Lewallen
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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — Two unlikely friends are sharing their journey of healing through a student-led podcast. The two became friends through their connection to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
The students at South Hampton K-8 School recorded the episode on Monday. It started out a little rocky when the school lost power, forcing the podcast recording to move outside to the courtyard. The podcast brought together two women who grew up on different sides of the Civil Rights Movement, but they said they found a way to make room to love each other and became good friends.
Denise McNair was one of the four little girls killed during the church bombing. Now, her sister Lisa is keeping her sister’s name alive by sharing her family’s story across the country. Tammie Fields is the daughter of Charles Cagle. He was accused of illegally having dynamite, but his conviction was overturned on appeal. Fields said she grew to feel more comfortable talking about her family’s troubled past more freely. She said she feels no shame because she wasn’t involved in her father’s actions, but does feel shame for what her family did.
“I was a little nervous and scared about meeting her and how she would feel about me,” Fields said. “But come to find out, she felt the same way — like she was a little nervous. We’ve just kind of gotten to know each other over the years, and I love her. It makes my heart jump when she calls me. I just love her.”
The two became friends several years ago despite their families’ clear differences. McNair said doing the podcast was important for her because if people don’t know their history, they’re destined to repeat it, especially for the students.
“I think that’s the whole point — to get to know people who may not look like you, may not worship like you, may not eat the same things you eat,” Lisa said. “My parents raised Denise in a segregated world, but I was raised in a very integrated world, and I can’t tell you how full my life is with all the people in my life coming from all different walks of life and all different backgrounds, and they make my life richer.”
The episode of the Bulldog Talk podcast is expected to be released on Thursday. It will be available on iTunes and Spotify.
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