There's still a tension between the races to this day. Yet empty seats in the courtroom attested to a lack of passion for a trial stemming from a crime almost four decades ago. Blacks and whites in the courtroom mingled cordially. Then, Klansmen gathered in the hallways. Times change and people change.
Young people take over and the old folks go on.
Mr. Blanton's conviction could be the last in this case. Memories have dimmed, and players have died. Former Klansman Bobby Frank Cherry of Mabank, Texas, was indicted last year with Mr. Blanton, but a judge delayed his trial because of mental competency questions. A fourth suspect in the church bombing has died. Still, a few younger activists try to keep alive the events of 1963, when Birmingham was in the forefront of the civil rights movement.