Our first stop was the 16th Street Baptist Church, infamous for the bombing by KKK members that killed 4 young girls who were there for Sunday School that morning. The Church was targeted because it had become a meeting center for civil rights activists and supporters in Birmingham. The tragedy focused worldwide attention on Birmingham’s segregation policies and the struggle for civil rights.
John Petts, a stained glass artist in Wales, UK heard about the bombing and the destruction of many of the church’s stained glass windows, including the face on the window featuring Jesus. He created the window above, which is now in the alcove and features a black Christ. His explanation of Christ’s hands “was that the right hand presses against the frame pushing out hatred and injustice, while the open left hand reaches out with the offer of forgiveness.” Though you can’t see it well from the angle of my photo, there are words at the bottom that say “You Do It To Me” which he took from Matthew 25:40 “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me”. (from www.artway.eu)