The Sunday morning of Sept. 15, 1963 was Youth Day at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. Dr. Sarah Collins Rudolph described it as a joyous morning buzzing with excitement and children’s laughter as she and four other little girls went to the basement of the church to freshen up. These four little girls were her sister, Addie Mae Collins, and best friends Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley. While down in that basement of a place that was meant to be safe and sacred, Rudolph recalls hearing a “big BOOM.” She called out for her sister Addie Mae again and again to no response, then everything went black.
It was only days later while recovering in the hospital, now blind in her left eye, that Rudolph was informed that she was carried out of that basement through the hole left by the bomb by a bishop as the only survivor. The lives of her sister Addie Mae and friends Denise, Carole and Cynthia were taken that day due to a hateful attack by four members of the Ku Klux Klan. The city of Birmingham, Ala. was forever changed as a resurgence of protests and strikes broke out.
This was the scene portrayed in a powerful dance performed by “Music, Theatre & Dance senior Brooke Taylor and members of the Black Scholars in Dance organization titled “For the Five.” Audience members were frozen in their seats as Music, Theatre & Dance sophomore Nile Andah provided vocals, accompanied by LSA senior Favour Kerobo on the piano, began to sing “Pass me not, O gentle Savior / Hear my humble cry / While on others Thou art calling / Do not pass me by” and the five women on stage danced the sentiments of that horrid day in Birmingham, Ala.
Akash Dewan/MiC
Akash Dewan/MiC
The mood of the piece continuously shifted from childlike joy and innocence to sorrow and loss. Taylor, at various points, seemed to lose herself in the playfulness of each girl’s dance, whether that be through laughter or skipping or swinging hand in hand until she was dragged back into the harsh reality of what had happened and the tears on stage were more than real.
Akash Dewan/MiC
The final scene of this performance still holds residence in my mind. Four dancers all dressed in white (representing the four girls that were murdered) wave goodbye to Taylor, who was representing Sarah Collins Rudolph, as the chorus of the hymn “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior” bellows over the room. As the lights cut out at the end of the number, the room is silent except for sounds of sniffling. Even backstage, where I was located, the other performers could not help themselves from crying.
As the dancers leave the stage, Nile Andah finishes the chorus of “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior“. Akash Dewan/MiC
This was just the beginning of an evening full of emotional performances in honor of Rudolph, who was in attendance along with her husband. The event was planned, organized, and orchestrated by Taylor.
Taylor watched a news story last May on Channel 7 Action News where Oakland University honored Mrs. Collins Rudolph as the sole survivor of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing with an honorary doctorate in nursing. This inspired Taylor to organize a concert in Rudolph’s honor. She was shocked to learn of the survivor, the fifth little Black girl in that church basement.
“There’s so much Black History that is not in the textbooks, that we are not taught about, and it’s really a shame,” Taylor said. “It just opened my eyes to all the historical moments and pieces of history that I don’t know.”
This realization sparked something in Taylor which led her to get in contact with Sarah Collins Rudolph’s husband. She told George Rudolph about her vision of bringing him and his wife to the University of Michigan through art and dance.
Dr. Rudolph receives a standing ovation as she enters the theater. Akash Dewan/MiC
Thus, “An Evening for Sarah: A concert in honor of the civil rights activist and survivor of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, Sarah Collins Rudolph” came to fruition.
To start the evening off, U-M dance professor Robin Wilson cleared the space through an African derived ritual called “Libations,” where one pours water into a plant as they honor and recognize their ancestors before them.
Robin Wilson performs a “Libations” ritual to open the show, accompanied by Marwan Amen-Ra on the drums. Akash Dewan/MiC
“This libation, this pouring of water into the earth, is a way to clear the space, to cool our hearts, to open our minds,” Wilson said. Throughout the libations, Marwan Amen-Ra played the drums and audience members called out the names of loved ones who have passed. All to the sound of a resounding Asé.
Following the “For the Five” dance tribute, I performed a poem entitled “A Poem for Sarah.” This poem was dedicated to the young Sarah Collins and all the other former Black girls in the room who were forced to grow up way before they should have needed to. I was incredibly grateful for this opportunity to share my words with a Civil Rights activist and survivor, and I didn’t take that opportunity lightly but I was also writing for me. I was writing for the little Black girl that I used to be who needed to hear the words “You’re Beautiful” and “I’m Sorry.” While on that stage, it felt like it was just me and Mrs. Rudolph, like we were two Black girls who understood each other.
Sarah Oguntomilade recites her poem, titled “A Poem for Sarah.” Akash Dewan/MiC
Dancers Tristen Cook, Megan Makulski, Brianna Muawad and Abigail Simmons of The Oakland University Dance Repertory performed a striking piece called Paths. Akash Dewan/MiC
Marsae Mitchell then performed a beautiful spoken word piece while Njeri Rutherford accompanied her words with an interpretive dance entitled “Golden Our.” Akash Dewan/MiC
Kate Louissaint then performed a stunning tap dance number to the song “Avec Le Temps” (With Time). Akash Dewan/MiC
Jack Williams III had the crowd swaying their shoulders and singing along, while he performed “What’s Going On?” With Kara Rosenborough dancing en pointe. Akash Dewan/MiC
Performers from the upcoming musical “The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin” performed the musical number “Smile, Smile,” which portrayed a scene in which a father attempts to console his daughter following the horrific aftermath of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing. The musical is set to be performed at the Arthur Miller Theatre on Feb. 25. Akash Dewan/MiC
The DR’s Laboratory, led by Donovan Rogers, closed the show with a vibrant performance of Beyonce’s “Freedom” which had the entire crowd on their feet. Akash Dewan/MiC
At the culmination of the concert, the Black Scholars in Dance organization recognized Rudolph once again. Taylor, the organization’s founder, presented her with an award that said, “We honor you as a hero, whose voice was once silenced, but now was heard and inspires a whole new generation.”
Dr. Rudolph receives her award from the Black scholars in Dance organization and embraces Brooke Taylor. Akash Dewan/MiC
Then, Rudolph sat down for a question and answer session. During this time, she recounted the day of the bombing and the events to follow. As an audience member myself, I hung on to her each and every word.
Dr. Rudolph answers questions from the audience. Akash Dewan/MiC
She recalled holding a lot of anger in her heart in the years following the death of her sister and friends and the loss of her eye. She was not given any counseling before being sent back to school. She has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and would “freak out” whenever she heard a loud noise. This PTSD would ultimately stop her from pursuing her dream of nursing school. To this day, she still has not received restitution from the state of Alabama. To make matters worse, it took 39 years for all of the men responsible for the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing to be prosecuted and held responsible for their crimes.
Yet, through her words and responses to people’s questions, it was beyond evident how important Rudolph’s faith in God was in her journey, a faith that eventually led her to forgive the men that did this to her. She spoke about how the anger she was holding felt like a sickness in her body and that she couldn’t continue holding onto that much hatred, for her own sake. It wasn’t until she was prayed over at a church service years later that she felt free of that burden of hate and the weight of the anger in her heart. She believes that it was God’s plan for her to survive and be a testimony of what happened that morning of Sept. 15 1963.
It was also during this question and answer session that a representative of Oakland University announced that there will soon be a nursing scholarship in honor of Rudolph.
The evening was a moment in Black History that was more than needed on this campus. It truly exemplified the intersection between art and activism. I am more than honored to have been a part of it, and I am more than grateful for artivists like Brooke Taylor. I have never met someone just as committed to their art as they are to social justice and Black remembrance. She is truly a community builder if I’ve ever met one.
Brooke Taylor gives her closing remarks at the end of the show. Akash Dewan/MiC
“I consider myself an artivist, which is an artist and an activist,” Taylor said. “I think that means that whatever I do, when I’m creating art, I strive to tell a story and to really intersect activism with my art…I wanted to do my last year at the University of Michigan right by honoring a Civil Rights Hero and survivor of a bombing that many people aren’t aware about and they definitely should be.”
MiC Senior Editor Sarah Oguntomilade can be reached at soguntom@umich.edu
MiC Head of Photography Akash Dewan can be reached at abdewan@umich.edu