Black soldiers who participated in the Civil War were remembered Thursday during a ceremony at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Representatives from the Ancient Africa Enslavement and Civil War Museum, Save OurSelves and community members gathered to honor 209,000 black soldiers who fought in the Civil War.

During the ceremony, Senator Hank Sanders read a list of some of the estimated 40,000 soldiers who died on the battlefield.

Sanders said black soldiers who fought in the Civil War are not always acknowledged in history books and classrooms.

“We’re not taught Abraham Lincoln said the war could not have been won without African American soldiers,” he said. “ So, when we know that we know we had a hand in our own liberation. We had a hand in our own struggle for freedom.”

The crowd that stood at the end of the bridge made its way toward the banks of the Alabama River, where they laid flowers in the water to honor the soldiers.

Director of the Ancient Africa Enslavement and Civil War Museum director Yomi Goodall said some of the problems facing African American communities stem from residual effects of slavery. She said it is important the soldiers be recognized.

“We have to remember our history,” Goodall said. “We have to learn to appreciate the sacrifices of other people, so that we get a better understanding and appreciation for the lives we have today.”