She feels ignored, but she doesn't like to put herself out there. She has black hair. From inside, she pulled the chunk of concrete that had been lodged in Denise's head. Three learning centers in Chicago bear her name. Their father would later say he didn't want to push it in their faces. Capricorns. She was blinded and screamed, "Addie! updated 12:51 PM EDT, Fri September 13, 2013. Explosions were part of life, part of the landscape, and could be heard from her family's front porch, says McKinstry, who was friends with the four girls and wrote about the bombing in "While the World Watched." She got married to Kevin Fontana, her second husband, in 1981, after her five-year marriage to Tom Fauntleroy ended in 1980. BernNadette Stanis is best known as Thelma from Good Times (1974), but there's much more to her than that. She was smart and brimming with potential; the Wesleys -- both educators who couldn't have children of their own -- were able to nurture her in a way their mother couldn't. Today, Lisa and Kimberly look at their mother with awe and admiration. She wouldn't see Denise again until, at the hospital, she and her husband later identified their only child's lifeless body. She also acted in the films N-Secure and Hidden Blessings. "I could, to a degree, step into her shoes," she says, but they were different people. The portraits of Carole that her mother kept on the family mantle are now with her. Her big regret is not being able to know her sister as an adult. She said, "No. For the brothers and sisters of the four girls, it was an event that would rock their foundations and shape their lives. She was everyone's little sister," Dianne says. She portrayed the role of Thelma Ann Evans, the witty, smart, no-nonsense middle sibling on the hit show Good Times that ran on CBS-TV from 1974 to 1979. On September 15, Dianne was visiting with other family members when her aunt called. And with her arm around Sarah sits Addie -- one of four girls whose deaths would spark change, touch strangers and shape the future of siblings. But when it reopened about nine months later, Sarah couldn't stand being inside. The two, five years apart, would listen to the radio at night. When she got home, she says her mother was too torn up about Addie to focus on her. He tried, saying he met with psychiatrists, but says they didn't believe his story. "Mama said a minister friend of hers told her, 'Maxine, God has a divine plan, and you just have to follow it.'". By the summer of 1963, Dianne had two years of college in Atlanta behind her. "People knew about me before I got here," she says. Ralph Abernathy came to the Robertsons and asked them to reconsider their plans. It is a large pencil drawing of the four girls, given to her at an event where she was honored, yet one more piece of art depicting what was lost. As Kimberly puts it, the film made Denise "three-dimensional." The couple, who had tried to have more children ever since Denise was born, came home to silence. They wanted money, not medals, they said at the time. They were visiting their grandmother; after someone mentioned Denise, the older woman fetched and opened a mysterious box. She opens one to show an old black-and-white photograph of herself in a hospital bed, the bandages still covering her eyes. Kevin is a married man, he married an American actress Bern Nadette Stanis.However, the couple married in the year 1981 on July 19. We were working together. The other three girls came into the lounge. But the longtime county commissioner, now 87, was convicted in 2006 for accepting bribes and then suffered a stroke. By then, a fourth suspect had died and would never face the court. Shirley learned to not be afraid of differences, embrace the hard conversations and seek out the good. "She would have been more of a diplomat than me," says Dianne. The blast blew out windows, filled the place with dust and debris, and destroyed a ladies restroom in the basement -- killing the four girls and injuring nearly two dozen people. She was horribly injured, physically and in spirit, her anger and sense of injustice still palpable. BernNadette Stanis played an important role as Thelma Evans on the '70s sitcom Good Times. She also says she has gravitated to women about 17 years her senior, the same age Denise would have been if she was still alive -- an unconscious effort to fill a void. Last November, a Birmingham News article focused just on her. What happened to their sister, to their family, is a piece of American history they must own. And he can't forgive himself for it. But in this one there is a fifth girl in the picture -- Sarah. One pair of sisters, born after the bombing, grew up in the shadow of a figure they longed to know. As sophisticated and graceful as she was, she still became TV's first black sex symbol or "It" girl. Earlier this week, in the U.S. Capitol, they were posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Their surviving siblings have their own stories. Her parents were all business, planning the funeral for that Tuesday. Neither made her hurt less. There was no way she could be, she says. African American actress is best known as Thelma Evans Anderson on Good Times. While they didn't feel they had to live their lives for the sister they lost, Kimberly says she felt like she was born without anonymity -- and with eyes trained on her. It would be more than a decade before an ounce of justice was served. She earned a Ph.D. in social work, taught and became an associate dean at a university. I said, 'I would love to go to college,'" Shirley remembers saying. Diane has spent her career in education, working to improve the lives of others -- much like the women who came before her and her late sister. For many years she told only a few close friends what happened to her sister. Bern Nadette Stanis is best known as a TV Actress. As proof, he points to a portrait of her in a dress made by their mother; he says the picture was taken when Cynthia was 9. Dianne doesn't think he ever got over what happened to his baby girl. "We have granddogs," says Lisa, giving Banjo a squeeze. BernNadette Stanis, Actress: Good Times. Bern Nadette Stanis Biography, Age, Height, Weight, Family, Wiki & More Bern Nadette Stanis is a Television Actress.Bern Nadette Stanis was born on December, 22, 1954 at Brooklyn , New York City, New York, United States.Also we can address Bern Nadette Stanis by other professions like, Television Actress & Author, Film Actress, Writer, who works predominantly in Hollywood. He points to copies of her birth certificate and an amendment to her death certificate, certified in 2002, that lists Cynthia's birth name and birth parents. In the late fall of 1963, after the bombing, the teacher told Shirley's mother about the Wesleys and how they'd treated Cynthia as if she was their own. She has trained people working in child welfare, consulted with agencies and volunteers, and advised prospective and current families. She lost sight in her right eye, and would later have to have it replaced with a prosthetic. I'm so sorry. One suspect was convicted for murder and slapped with a life sentence after the case was reopened in the 1970s. Sometimes she thinks the world would have cared more about her if she'd died, too. It was 10:22 a.m. on Sunday, September 15, 1963, when a stack of dynamite hidden beneath an outside staircase by Ku Klux Klansmen left a massive hole and crater in one side of the church. Sarah's face had been peppered with glass. Dianne flew to Birmingham the day after Carole died. Nashville, TN--It was a fun-filled and inspiring event earlier this week, during the 'An Evening with Bern Nadette Stanis' event. They reaped the benefits of their sister's sacrifice. She led courses and fostered dialogues about ethics and diversity. Sarah, dubbed "the fifth little girl," was severely injured that day and has spent much of her life feeling ignored. Along the way, Lisa and Kimberly learned to step up. Sarah didn't grow up surrounded by the sorts of role models the McNair, Robertson and Wesley sisters had. He blames the ignorance of young doctors who didn't understand what was going on at that time. Their neighborhood in Birmingham was dubbed "Dynamite Hill" because there were so many explosions. She was born on December 22, 1953 in Brooklyn, NY. She scrambled back inside and went to the sink, pretending she had to wash her hands. But he said the statute of limitations for attempted murder had long passed by the time the state reopened the investigation in 1971. Her parents shielded them from much of the ugliness. He says he never got help to deal with the emotions that overcome him. Every day at about 4 a.m., for 50 years, Fate says he's wept remembering that moment and how he responded. Cynthia was a "steady spirit" in the Wesley home, she says, her eyes welling. But her memory is different. 8,291 Likes, 228 Comments - BernNadette Stanis (@thelmaofgoodtimes) on Instagram: “TBT Me and my Sister Debbie at an award show. She jumped up to try to find her daughter, not knowing she was buried in the rubble. "You two are crazy!" For now, he says, he'd be happy to see his sister's name changed to Morris in history books, on historic markers and on her grave. It’s been over 40 decades since the last episode of the 1970s sitcom “Good Times” aired and Bern Nadette Stanis who starred as Thelma Evans, has a daughter of her own who is now a medical doctor. The couple first came over for a visit, bringing with them the family dog, a cockapoo named Tootsie. "And it might give me peace of mind.". They thought they were "supposed to be the protectors, and there was nothing they could do about it.". Another, already grown and out of the house when she got the news, would guard her identity and never move back South. It became a perfect spot for meetings, sitting catty-corner from Kelly Ingram Park, a staging ground for marches. Bern Nadette Stanis Fans Also Viewed . She was pregnant with her first daughter when relatives up north helped secure her a job in a New York coat factory. Today, she knows it wouldn't have meant a thing. Scattered across three states, they share an unthinkable tragedy. The actress/author starred as "Thelma Evans" on the 70's hit sitcom GOOD TIMES. It was a pivotal moment that helped prod the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Their father would travel to different cities to attend the film's premieres and sob at every one of them. Instead, Janie stepped in. T he first Black female character to play a teenager in a Black family on national television was the talented BernNadette Stanis. But Shirley, who now lives in Dallas, also knows she got just as much in return. Memory can be a brutal weapon, and it has haunted and beaten up Fate ever since Cynthia died. She would later turn to alcohol and marijuana to dull the pain. He says he hired a lawyer to prove that Cynthia had never been adopted. Their headstones include phrases like "martyr," "She died so freedom might live," and "She loved all -- but a mad bomber hated her kind.". People have said that Sarah was found under the rubble, and that she had been in a separate room with the stalls and that's what saved her. Birmingham, Alabama (CNN) -- Fifty years have passed since a bomb stopped the old sanctuary clock in Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church, locking in a moment that would change a nation. She wonders if her scarred appearance frightened them. She says she never left that sink in the lounge and remained standing. The coffee table in their living room is littered with memorabilia. "A doctor or lawyer or politician. She was 12 at the time, the youngest in a family of eight children, and she says she remembers everything. Back when Carole was her "bratty little sister," a five-year age gap seemed significant. She closes her eyes but never stops listening. "She played clarinet. Now, whenever the sisters see the film, they start crying as soon as the opening credits roll. She was born and brought up in Brooklyn in New York. Maxine howls with laughter. On Sundays, after dinner, the family would go on drives and admire the big, beautiful homes in white-only neighborhoods. Congress bestowed its highest civilian honor on the four African-American girls killed in a 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. For more than two months she remained in the hospital and cried for Addie. Figuring out who's right, when relatives say no formal adoption was ever processed, would be hard to do. He wants that changed. They wanted them to take part in a joint funeral for all four girls scheduled one day later. She was scooped up under her arms by a churchgoer and taken outside. Her shoes, her purse, the drops she had used that day for her allergies. Her mother picked out an outfit to match what Carole wore the day of the bombing -- a white dress and her first pair of little pumps, specially selected for the youth service that was to follow Sunday school that tragic morning. And they have decided to grant them. He was recently released after serving two years in a federal prison medical facility. By afternoon, civil rights leaders including King and the Rev. "They had to give me an injection to calm my nerves.". He'd identified Carole's body and split a door on the porch when he came home because he'd slammed it so hard. Her older brother remained angry and bitter until he died two years ago, she says. In the 1970s she was the personification of black beauty. "She might have been a diplomat, a politician, a historian.". ", Outside, Carole often tagged along with Dianne and her friends. Even before the bombing, the church -- in the heart of the city's black community -- had been a backdrop to the civil rights movement. "I know it would make my mother happy," he says. BernNadette Stanis of "Good Times" took a walk down the memory lane all the way to the 80s and shared a picture of herself clad in fitting black top and leggings. BernNadette Stanis of "Good Times" fame shared a throwback photo, taken at an award show, of herself and her sister Debbie who served as her bridesmaid. I knew she was gone, but what bothered me is I left her.". I did not do that. It is framed and featured prominently in her home. 2 Ways to Vote her Up! As an evening summer storm pounds the living-room skylights in the Birmingham-area home the family shares, their rescue dog Banjo vies for lap space. Dianne remembers handing out fliers as a high school student. He came down the street to find an angry crowd, yelling at police who had gathered outside. Where & When Was Stanis Born? At one point, he says, he hoped for restitution for her death, but today he believes if it was going to come, it should have happened long ago. The feeling of being overlooked -- by strangers, teachers, those who might have been in a position to help her -- stuck with Sarah. They are also active in a scholarship fund established in the four girls' memory -- "giving people the chance to do what they couldn't," says Lisa. I just think she would have been adventurous," says Kimberly. It happened a couple weeks after the March on Washington, as those who didn't share King's dream dug in their segregationist heels. Everything their parents had kept to themselves came out. Today, Bern Nadette Stanis travels the world as the author of 3 books. Her most recent work, The Last Night: A Caregiver’s Journey, profiles the walk of a loving daughter with a beloved Mother diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Bern Nadette Stanis is an American actress as well as an author who is widely famous for her appearance as Thelma Ann Evans-Anderson on a TV show, Good Times. African American actress is best known as Thelma Evans Anderson on Good Times. Bern Nadette Stanis Is A Member Of . . Her mom, who cooked, cleaned and cared for other people's children, made her girls read all the time. For most of their adult lives, their father, Chris McNair, served as the family spokesman. I played piano. Bombs in this Southern city weren't new. Fifty years have passed since a bomb stopped the old sanctuary clock in Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church. Her father, who died in 1967, bused tables in a Chinese restaurant while her mother worked as a housekeeper. Photos of Denise McNair, center, her parents and the sisters she never knew. ", A large portrait of Cynthia hung above the piano Shirley practiced on every day. To him, she never stopped being a Morris. The progressive disease is a form of dementia that impacts memory, thinking and behavior. An extension of them all -- herself included. updated 11:30 AM EDT, Tue September 17, 2013, Legacy of Birmingham's 'four little girls'. Any questions they had were given one- or two-word answers. Carole was thoughtful and an intent listener. She told him it did. Their mother was a committed churchgoer. "You were already measured before anyone gave you an opportunity to be who you were.". She looks absolutely stunning! Nothing about losing Carole felt honorable. It was surreal, weird, sometimes confusing to grow up in the shadow of an iconic, almost mythical spirit. Remnants of the eastern wall of the basement blew to the western wall. Black Actresses. My friend said 'You should've stayed,' and I didn't stay. Rather than letting them take buses, where they'd feel the indignity of sitting in the back, their parents insisted on driving them. 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