The Selma times-journal

A local non-profit organization dedicated to increasing voter awareness is hosting a major conference next month to celebrate

the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act.

The Democracy Project, headed by the Rev. Lawrence Wofford, is hosting the conference on Aug. 3-6 at Brown Chapel AME Church and Concordia College.

The theme of the conference is &8220;40 years after the Voting Rights Act: Where do we go from here?&8221;

Wofford said the conference officially starts with a worship service at 7: 30 p.m. on Aug. 3 at Brown Chapel A.M.E.

The following morning at Concordia College, Alabama Secretary of State Nancy Worley will be the first guest speaker at the conference.

Following Worley, Wofford said other guest speakers on Aug. 4 include former Mississippi Gov. William F. Winter and J. Mills Thorton, author of &8220;Dividing Lines: Municipal Politics and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Montgomery, Birmingham, and Selma.&8221;

On Aug. 5, the confirmed guest speakers include John K. Tanner, chief of the Voting Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Congressman Artur Davis, and University of Alabama professor Susan Hammill

Along with the conference, Wofford said the Democracy Project will also host a town hall meeting to discuss the Voting Rights Act and its impact in the years since.

For more information about the conference or to register, contact the Democracy Project at 875-5340 or visit the Web site www.thedemocracyproject.net.