Tracy Koch 
Day Five: Civil Rights Trip 2024!
Our remarkable and memorable day in Selma, AL. We drove into Selma, crossing the Edmund Pettis bridge, the same bridge that the marchers crossed. Our morning tour of Selma was led by JoAnn Bland, who also led our tour last year. We walked through Foot Soldiers Park (the picture with the beautiful murals) and then walked over to Browns Chapel AME, where many of the mass meetings were held and where the marches started. JoAnn shared her own personal story. She had to learn about non violence and commit to that, which she would admit was counter to her personality. She learned that violence in any form is wrong. She shared about Bloody Sunday and the injuries that she and her sister sustained. JoAnn concluded by reminding us that we’re fighting today for the same things that they were fighting for in the 1960’s. That gave me a lot to think about. The progress that’s been made doesn’t prevent the slide backwards of suppressing the vote in many states. Discrimination and racism are still in the air we breathe.
We enjoyed lunch at the new restaurant owned by Jackie Smith, called Reflections. She is a bright leader and business woman in the city of Selma, employing a lot of young people and offering 2 restaurants that are a gathering space for the community and visitors.
Our afternoon was unique with the opportunity to put ourselves in the shoes of the Foot Solders from March 1965. We started at Browns Chapel, after hearing about the events of March 7th. We were given instructions to avoid violence. And then we marched to the bridge and crossed it. We didn’t face the violence or the threats, but we were very aware of the place in history this bridge holds. We walked back across the bridge and headed back to Browns Chapel, remembering the events of March 7th, Bloody Sunday, and the vicious attacks that happened not only on the Bridge but throughout the entire town.
Votings rights were achieved thru a hard-fought battle in 1965, about 100 years after they were supposedly guaranteed by the 15th amendment, but never truly granted. We’ve got to be careful and make sure that we’re not going backwards in the 21st century when it comes to ensuring that everyone who is a citizen has the right to vote and reasonable access to votint.
We are spending Tuesday in Montgomery and will be touring Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, the only pulpit that Martin Luther King Jr was ever the pastor of. Thanks for joining this pilgrimage with us.