The sounds of dancers and drummers echoed from the courtyard in front of the library at Selma University Saturday, welcoming the guest of honor at the day’s festivites &045;&045; Amelia Boynton-Robinson.

Boynton-Robinson walked down the sidewalk with ease. Dressed in a red, black and gold dress with gray shot through her black hair, she looks years younger than 91.

It was her birthday that several hundred people gathered together to celebrate. It was also a tribute to a lifetime of work for civil rights and campaigning for black equality in Selma and the state.

The celebration kicked off Saturday with a day-long festival at the University. It continues today with a banquet at the Carl Morgan Convention Center.

During the festival, Selma Councilwoman Bennie Ruth Crenshaw and Felecia Pettway with the National Voting Rights Musuem unveiled an exhibit honoring Boynton-Robinson and her late husband S.W. Boynton.

The exhibit, designed by Selma attorney Faya Rose Toure (formerly Rose Sanders) and painted by Nate Brown, featured Sam and Amelia Boynton against a backdrop of moments of civil rights history.

She hugged children and watched the festivities with her eyes on a little girl playing in front of her seat. It is these young people she addresses her speech to when given the opportunity to speak to the crowd.

She reminds them that coming of age comes with certain responsibilities &045;&045; one of those is registering to vote.

It is voter registration that landed Amelia Boynton-Robinson in the history books. In 1929, when she and S.W. Boynton moved to Selma, they started registering as many people as they could to vote.

In the 1930s, Boyton-Robinson herself joined the register, becoming one of only 10 blacks on the roll at that time.

Boynton-Robinson urged the people around her to get involved in their communities.

If Boynton-Robinson wanted to make an impression on the younger generation, she has done her job. During her speech, a little boy sitting near the microphone turned to a friend.