But former Voting Rights Museum director not going far

Joanne Bland has been a presence at the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute from the beginning &045; when it was just a dream.

She has most recently served as executive director, and for hundreds who grew up in the Selma and Dallas County school system, Bland is synonymous with the museum.

She has also worked as a curator, tour guide, secretary and volunteer.

Bland helped organize the first Bridge Crossing Jubilee and has been the point of contact for visitors from the White House to high school students in California and Africa.

Last week, she said good-bye to the Voting Rights Museum, and launched a new phase in her career.

She will continue to serve Selma, working with a specialty tour company in providing tours to Civil Rights sites.

The National Voting Rights Museum & Institute will become a stop on her tour.

Bland will continue doing what she loves and will have even more territory to cover.

Our hats are off to Joanne Bland and the job she has done in making the National Voting Rights Museum a tourist destination. We wish her luck in her new endeavor, which will continue to promote Selma and its history in the Civil Rights Movement.