Comedian Bill Cosby will take part in an education march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge Friday and will also speak to students at Selma High School.

Cosby’s time in Selma is to help promote the Black Belt Community Foundation’s ‘Black Belt Children Matter’ campaign, which launches Thursday night with a private reception in Prattville that features Cosby.

“I strongly support the Black Belt Community Foundation’s ‘Black Belt Children Matter’ Initiative because everyone should be able to have access to the best schools possible,” Cosby said in a press release. “We have a moral and societal obligation to give our young people the opportunity to succeed with their education.”

Cosby will speak Friday in Demopolis to high school students from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Theo Ratliff Center. From there, he will travel to Selma High School to speak from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the school’s auditorium. Following that, he will walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge with state and local leaders.

“The Black Belt Community Foundation is overwhelmed and elated that Dr. Bill Cosby agreed and accepted our invitation to partner as well as help kick-off our Black Belt Children Matter initiative,” said Black Belt Community Foundation president Felecia Lucky in a press release. “Dr. Cosby’s legacy transcends decades but his dedication to humanity, education and philanthropy is an invaluable resource along with the exposure he can bring to the serious challenges affecting this region of the country.”

Selma High School principal Aubrey Larkin said he’s excited to have a celebrity like Cosby, who is a strong supporter of education, speak to the students. Larkin said sixth to twelfth grade students from Selma City Schools and numerous students from other Black Belt schools will also hear Cosby speak Friday.

“When I heard the opportunity for him to come and speak to the children of the Black Belt and that they wanted to use our facility, I was excited about it and my superintendent is excited about it,” he said. “I think it will be a great experience for the boys and girls of the Black Belt to be in his presence.”

Larkin said he understands there might be some backlash from the community. Cosby has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women, but has not been charged of a crime as a result of those allegations.

“With anything you do, you are going to have backlash but here again, you have to weigh the pros and the cons,” Larkin said. “In this instance the pros far outweigh the cons for our boys and girls of the Black Belt.”

Cosby’s publicist Andrew Wyatt said the theme of the celebrity’s trip will be all about education. Before he crosses over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Cosby will ask everyone to write the name of someone who inspired them on a sheet of paper.

“It’s going to be about education and about how education can pull you toward anything in life and how you do not have to become a victim once you have an education,” Wyatt said of Cosby’s time in the Black Belt.