March has been a busy month for the FSP National Youth Advisory Board (YAB). Take a look at their activities as they strategically move into Phase II of their action plan which focuses on social injustice and advocacy.
YAB took this time as an opportunity to hone in on their Y.O.U.R.S. initiative. Started by Ms. Bland, YOURS stands for You Owning Up (to your) Responsibilities (to the) System. YAB members served as onsite facilitators focused on getting unregistered and eligible 18-year-olds hyped about participating in the voting process. They also took part in a mock trial that dealt with real social injustice issues and other activities during the 59th anniversary of the commemoration of Bloody Sunday and the march from Selma to Montgomery.
Civic education and engagement are requirements for YAB. Members fulfilled this obligation recently by participating in full-day hosted events at the University of Alabama Law School and the State Capitol. They tackled real issues related to social injustices and voter suppression. In addition, YAB had the awesome opportunity to interact with original foot soldiers who participated in the 1965 movement that made history.
Back to Selma, YAB jumped in to support FSP’s 3rd-anniversary activities. In five days, the group added the following accomplishments to their growing list:
- Completed a service project painting a shelter for homeless citizens
- Traveled to two cities for professional development
- Hosted a parent welcome reception
- Facilitated a panel discussion with the Alabama Conference of Black Mayors
- Sat in a courtroom and defense, prosecution, and jury
- Marched in the annual Jubilee parade
- Greeted attendees at the Excellence Brunch of Salute Selma
- Marched in the Annual Bridge Crossing and remembrance of Bloody Sunday
This deserves applause, appreciation, and support. Kudos to our YAB for showing up and showing out! Your financial support helps us keep the dream alive for YAB!
Congresswoman Terri Sewell invited Foot Soldiers Park Founder and COO, Jo Ann Bland to join other distinguished guests on March 7, watching the President of the United States deliver the State of the Union address live from the U.S. Capitol Building!
It was an honor well deserved as Ms. Bland has dedicated much of her life from childhood to now fighting for civil rights. Ms. Bland’s presence at the event serves as a poignant reminder of the continued importance of grassroots movements in shaping the nation’s political discourse.
We believe Dr. King would be proud to see how this generation of youth is engaged and involved.
The National Youth Advisory Board made service a priority this MLK Day. Members volunteered their time at the 31st Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast sponsored by the Selma Chapter of The Links Incorporated. The annual event commemorates the life of Dr. King and raises funds to support youth scholarships for local YAB students. This year’s breakfast, themed Black KARE, focused on kidney awareness, resources, and education.
Youth Advisory Board members served breakfast and helped prepare the event for attendees. Members received several invitations including:
- A visit to the University of Alabama School of Law by Professor Bryan Fair, JD
- A sit-in on court trials from DA Robert Turner, Jr.
- A trip to the Selma City Council Chambers by President Billy Young, who is also the Assistant Attorney General
- A reminder of a pending tour of The Hill in Montgomery by Senator Robert Stewart
Kudos to the up and coming generation of foot soldiers who are moving the needle from being the next generation to be generation now!
Our On the Road with Mrs. Bland segment takes us back to Montgomery for the Sixth Annual Rosa Parks Day celebration at the former home church of Civil Rights Activist, Rosa Parks who was the face of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Mrs. Bland was presented with the 2023 Rosa Parks Award for her continued leadership in the work of the movement. Almost always side-by-side as they usually are, Mrs. Blackmon Lowery was also an honored recipient of the award. Thank you to Rev. Dr. Agnes M. Lover, Pastor of Saint Paul A.M.E. Church and members, for recognizing the leadership, commitment to civil rights, voting rights, and civic service these two icons have offered. Please join us in congratulating both strong Black women who have been in the trenches of justice and who lead the way to a better future for all!
On the VRA celebration weekend, FSP’s Youth Advisory Board hosted the Y.O.U.R.S. – You Owning Up to Your Responsibilities to the System – Youth Panel Discussion. Just as the young people of Selma played a pivotal role in the enactment of the VRA in 1965, the next generation of activists are critical to the fight against today’s voter suppression and injustice. The discussion centered around the impact of the Selma Civil Rights Movement and how the city can once again lead the efforts to preserve our democracy. This includes ensuring that the current generation of young people understands the importance of fighting against voter suppression and is equipped to participate effectively in the democratic process.
We want to thank our sponsor, The Legacy Foundation, and Coach Darrell Walker, Selma High History teacher, for helping to make this such a successful event.
On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act (VRA) into law. This historic act was a direct consequence of the bravery and perseverance of the foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement – including that of our founder, Ms. JoAnne Bland. Within months of its passage, hundreds of thousands of disenfranchised Black Americans registered to vote, dramatically changing the voting profile of the nation. Each year, Foot Soldiers Park honors this sacred event with activities designed to cultivate the next generation of activists and uplift the residents of Selma who, over the past 50 years, have been denied the resources and opportunities they need and deserve.
As part of these celebrations this year, FSP hosted the Voting Rights Act Birthday Bash, which brought together generations of voting rights activists, elected officials and those interested in ensuring the vote is a protected right for all Americans. Foot Soldier Mr. John Pettaway was honored with the Trailblazer Award while Collins Pettway III received the Legacy Carrier Award. Live entertainment was provided by the Jous Band of Tuscaloosa.
On June 19th, Foot Soldiers Park marked the emancipation from enslavement with a full weekend celebration of Black culture, community spirit and the promise of our bright, beautiful young people! Sahi On Ko Djony, the African drum and dance group out of Birmingham, gave us music and dancing and a special Kidz Zone, featuring bouncy castles, trackless trains and face painting sparked joy in our kids. We were inspired by the visions and oratorical gifts of Selma youth as we honored the winners of our inaugural Juneteenth Oratorical Contest which asked young people aged 12 through 17 to share original speeches on the theme of “Still We Rise.”
A Black Business Expo brought an exciting lineup of black entrepreneurs to Selma who showcased an eclectic range of businesses. In a weekend packed with events and activities, our most precious memories are of the shining, happy faces of the young people of Selma–especially the residents of the historic and underserved George Washington Carver Homes. A huge thank you to our sponsors, partners, volunteers and vendors. We’ll see you next year!
Each year, on the first weekend in March, Selma celebrates Jubilee Weekend. Thousands of visitors from across the country join the city’s residents to honor the anniversary of the Selma Marches – Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday and the Selma to Montgomery March – and the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Jubilee Weekend is an opportunity to honor the blood and bravery that led to the dismantling of racist voter discrimination practices, to celebrate the heroes of the movement and to renew our pledge to protect the rights of all Americans to participate in free and fair elections. Jubilee Weekend is also the anniversary of the founding of Foot Soldiers Park – and this year we celebrated in style!
Two years ago, on Jubilee Weekend, Foot Soldiers Park and Education Center was launched by a small band of activists and philanthropists. We believed that the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement were being forgotten – in Selma, developers threatened to bulldoze the historic landmarks of the Civil Rights Movement, the right to vote and to have each voice count was being stripped away through gerrymandering and antidemocratic voter suppression laws and the city of Selma, the epicenter of the voting rights movement, was steeped in poverty. We founded FSP to remedy this, and we could not have imagined how far we’d come in just two short years.
The majority of land needed for our park and education center has been purchased; we have built a stellar Board of Directors, filled with diverse and inspiring leaders; community programs are being developed and launched and leading national funders have recognized our vision, investing in our success. We celebrated these accomplishments at a series of events over the Jubilee Weekend. On the morning of March 4th, we hosted the Foot Soldiers Park Breakfast, welcoming foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement and inspirational new social justice leaders, including Judge Vernetta Perkins. This was followed by the FSP CommUNITY Fest, a day of remembrance, celebration and community building that brought Selma residents and Jubilee Weekend visitors together for joy-filled musical performances, games and speeches.
We also honored foot soldiers from 1965, including Mr. Richard Smiley, Mr. Albert Southall and, posthumously, Ms. Annie Cooper, as well as Dr. F.D. Reese, a member of the Courageous 8, who wrote the invitation inviting Dr. King to Selma in 1965. Dr. Reese passed in 2018 and the award was presented to his daughter, Valerie R. Harris, choir Director of the Historical Miles College Choir, which performed freedom songs at the event. Finally, FSP recognized the churches of the movement, past and present, including Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church, Gospel Tabernacle Church of God in Christ and Ward Chapel AME Church.
As part of the celebrations, we were thrilled to unveil a mural by renowned artist, Cbabi Bayoc, on what will be the site of the Foot Soldiers Park campus! The mural depicts words and images relating to the quest for social justice and equality. We also revealed our new play facilities – brightly colored basketball court, hopscotch, four square and shuffleboard amenities – that will be enjoyed by neighborhood kids, including those enrolled in our new PlayPals program! This was a truly exciting moment for our young organization – the first concrete steps towards the realization of our Park and Education Center. The journey begins!
Finally, March 4th marked the inaugural public appearance of our Youth Advisory Board (YAB)! We are so proud to have these young social justice and voting rights activists – all of whom are under 18. The initiative was launched in 2022 with seed funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Read more about YAB here.