U.S. Representative Terri A. Sewell, who has represented Alabama’s 7th district in Congress since 2011, marked September 16, 2025, with a series of posts reflecting on personal and historical legacies.
On the morning of September 16, Sewell posted a tribute to the victims of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing: “We must never forget the legacy of the #FourLittleGirls.” The reference is to Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley—four African American girls killed in a racially motivated attack at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.
Later that day, Sewell commemorated her late mother’s birthday with another post: “Happy heavenly birthday to my beloved mother, Nancy Gardner Sewell! Gone but never forgotten. “
In a subsequent tweet on September 16, she described her participation in an advocacy event for cancer screening legislation named after her mother: “Great morning rallying with cancer advocates from Alabama and across the nation in support of the Nancy Gardner Sewell MCED Act! What a befitting tribute to my late mother to spend her birthday fighting for greater access to cancer screenings.
Special thanks to @ACSCAN and their”
Sewell’s posts highlight both national history and personal remembrance. The mention of the Four Little Girls comes as Birmingham continues to reckon with its civil rights legacy more than sixty years after the church bombing—a pivotal moment in U.S. history.
The congresswoman’s recognition of her mother also coincided with advocacy for expanded cancer screenings through proposed legislation bearing Nancy Gardner Sewell’s name. The act aims to improve early detection options nationwide.
Born in Huntsville in 1965 and now residing in Birmingham, Terri Sewell is among Alabama’s most prominent political figures. She graduated from Princeton University before earning advanced degrees from Oxford and Harvard Law School.
