Selma to Montgomery – 60th Anniversary

“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.

So we’re going to stand up amid horses. We’re going to stand up right here in Alabama, amid the billy-clubs. We’re going to stand up right here in Alabama amid police dogs, if they have them. We’re going to stand up amid tear gas! We’re going to stand up amid anything they can muster up, letting the world know that we are determined to be free!”

— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., March 25, 1965

Six decades ago on March 7, 1965 hundreds of people, young and old, marched to ensure that African Americans could exercise their right to vote. For days, they didn’t stop despite police brutality that left many injured. On March 9th, Dr. Martin Luther King led roughly 2,500 people to the Pettus Bridge before turning the marchers around to obey court orders. And on March 21, thousands of people joined along the way from Selma to Montgomery, with roughly 25,000 people entering the capital on the final leg of the march. On March 25, the marchers made it to the entrance of the Alabama State Capitol building, with a petition for Gov. George Wallace.

The Voting Rights Act was passed by Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law on August 6, 1965. This historic legislation was designed to eliminate legal barriers at the state and local level that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote under the 15th Amendment — after nearly a century of unconstitutional discrimination.

This 60th anniversary, Foot Soldiers Park calls for a New March on Selma – a call for bold new action to ignite change in which our communities have the resources and tools to exercise their civil rights and duties as equal citizens, build wealth, access education and gain job skills. A call for healing from generational trauma and most importantly, a call to rise up again and shape our own futures.

Every jubilee, tens of thousands of people visit Selma to retrace the steps of the foot soldiers of 1965 across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, including US Presidents, members of Congress and other dignitaries to showcase their respect and commitment to the civil rights movement. But when we look back, the majority Black Selma has reaped little reward for its iconic status in American history.

This 60th anniversary, it is vitally important to honor the sacrifices of those who marched for our voting rights before us, risking their lives and livelihoods. Their courage and resilience is what inspires and guides us as we take on our own journey to justice and liberation.

Today, it is urgent that we move beyond remembrance and translate those sacrifices into steps to build a better future for Selma, for ourselves and for future generations in spite of shifting politics, new challenges and persistent disinvestment.

At Foot Soldiers Park we have a clear purpose – to fuel the civil rights movement of the past, present and future as a means to achieve racial justice, economic prosperity, and liberty for all. As we look to the next 60 years in Selma and beyond, we are working to drive impact through:

• Providing the Selma community with the opportunity to position its historical significance as an engine for economic development and liberation
• Educating young people and adults about their civic duty and training them to advocate for change within their own communities
• Arming Selma residents with the knowledge and tools for financial literacy and homeownership to build long-term financial security
• Co-creating with young people a robust national youth platform for civic engagement, peer learning, organizing and leadership development
• Offering resources and services that center on healing the whole self – body, spirit and mind – from the trauma of historical oppression as a pathway to true equity and liberation

On this 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, despite the challenges ahead of us, we invite you to stand strong with us and march for a new day of self-determination, self actualization, unity and transformation.

60th Anniversary Commemoration

Join our team for a commemoration event on March 8, 2025 with original and future foot soldiers, family-friendly festivities, live music and more!