Alabama governor apologizes to survivor of 1963 KKK bombing

Alabama Gov Kay Ivey has extended a long-awaited apology to Sarah Collins Rudolph, a survivor of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing.

Ms Collins Rudolph was 12 years old when members of the Ku Klux Klan planted a bomb at the 16th Street Baptist Church, setting off an explosion that killed four other young Black girls, including her sister. Although she survived, Ms Collins Rudolph, who was called the "fifth little girl," lost her right eye and was hospitalized for two months after the attack.

In her letter to Ms Collins Rudolph's attorneys, Ms Ivey tried to make amends for the hateful attack, acknowledging that the survivor and the rest of the victims' families "suffered an egregious injustice that has yielded untold pain and suffering over the ensuing decades.

"For that," the Republican governor added, "they most certainly deserve a sincere, heartfelt apology — an apology that I extend today without hesitation or reservation."