Letters: McNair, Correction

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MICHELE NORRIS, host:

From NPR News, this is All Things Considered. I'm Michele Norris.

ROBERT SIEGEL, host:

And I'm Robert Siegel. Now, your comments. And first, one correction. Yesterday, our math was off in a story that mentioned the presidential candidate's latest fundraising. We said that in August, Barack Obama's fundraising outpaced John McCain by nine million dollars. That number is actually 19 million dollars.

NORRIS: Many of your comments about yesterday's show came in response to my interview with Christopher McNair. He's the father of one of the four young girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. It happened 45 years ago this week. I described the incident as a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and said that it, quote, "enraged white northerners."

SIEGEL: Well, that characterization did not sit well with many of you. Larren Toldberg (ph) of Smyrna, Georgia wrote this.

NORRIS: As a white southerner who was equally outraged and also spent much of my subsequent years in the north, where racism was everywhere and evident, I was disappointed that you still contribute to the jingoistic view that moral outrage and colorblindness is a peculiarly northern attribute.

SIEGEL: And Priscilla Jensen (ph), who lives in McLean, Virginia, also wrote from personal experience of growing up in the South. She writes, I know from being there, though I was not quite nine, that there was widespread outrage throughout the south among people from all races and backgrounds. I believe some historians have argued that, in its very horror, the crime forced many to realize that change was tragically overdue.

NORRIS: We also got some email praising the interview. This came from Gretchen Reed (ph) of Seattle.

SIEGEL: Michele Norris's interview with Christopher McNair made the loss of his daughter so many years ago as immediate as if it had happened today. It was so very moving. I cannot adequately say how much I appreciate Ms. Norris' warmth, sensitivity, and compassion.

NORRIS: Thanks for your comments. You can email us by going to our website, npr.org. Click on contact us at the top of the page.

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