By Hezekiah Jackson IV
The infamous day of Sept. 16, 1963 is marked indelibly in our minds and hearts as a day of sacrifice and hate personified that exploded around the world and ignited the call for racial oppression to be halted.
The bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, here in Birmingham and the lives claimed of our celebrated “Four Little Girls” by the known hate mongers: Thomas Blanton, Robert Chambliss and Bobby Frank Cherry.
The wheels of justice turned very slowly and with activists led by Frank Matthews; Metro Birmingham NAACP; SCLC and other justice seekers, Chambliss was found guilty in 1977, Blanton not until 2001, Cherry in 2002 with no one else being charged.
Chambliss and Cherry made their transition and rightly so incarcerated and another suspect Herman Cash died before he could be brought to trial.
We have learned that families of the girls have been notified of the parole hearing of Blanton set for Wed., Aug. 3, 2016 at the Alabama Pardon and Paroles Office in Montgomery, Alabama at 8 a.m.
The course of events of the last few months have brought into view the justice system and if it is really providing equal justice. Blanton was allowed 39 years of freedom before facing any form of human justice and this makes most black people and others of goodwill to take this personally and to feel this is just more evidence that our lives do not matter in comparison to others in the United States of America.
The message of parole for Blanton would be to throw mud on Lady Justice, strip her of the blindfold and drag her image into the gutter of frustration, further discontent, and more divide. While we are overwhelmingly a forgiving people, we respect justice, real justice that is and we understand the power of symbolism and imagery.
Parole for Blanton is an affront to all we hold dear and we must demand real justice to have no statute of limitations.
You can help by sending a letter or email of opposition to the Alabama Pardon and Paroles – Fax: 334-353-9400 or email:questions@paroles.alabama.gov as an individual, group or from your church by Mon. Aug. 1 or join us in Montgomery for the hearing with a small poster saying “NO PAROLE for BLANTON” or reserve a seat on the NAACP bus to the hearing at answer.hjacks@hotmail.com.
Hezekiah Jackson IV, is president of Metro Birmingham NAACP. Birmingham Voices is a forum to provide commentary and opinion.
