Remembering Virgil and Johnny | Huntsville News

Thirty cyclists rode through Birmingham’s Civil Rights District to honor Virgil Ware and Johnny Robinson, two teens murdered on the same day as the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing—Ware, age 13, killed while biking; Robinson, 16, shot by police. The 22-mile ride, done in 90-degree heat, passed key civil rights sites, drawing cheers from students and volunteers. Their stories, already immortalized in a Kelly Ingram Park sculpture and the Gallery of Distinguished Citizens, are now central to a new monument project aimed at completing the historical record of that tragic day. Fundraising is underway to secure support from corporations, donors, and federal officials, as organizers stress the moral duty to remember every life lost—and to ensure no young martyr goes unacknowledged. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Sources:https://www.al.com/news/2026/09/cyclists-honor-memory-of-2-overlooked-lives-lost-in-birminghams-1963-civil-rights-struggle.html More coverage & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/bb1d15c1c5175e29 Report issues to [email protected].