The issue: A group of people involved in the arts are trying to bring new attitudes and revive us in Selma.

Our position: The creation of the Dallas County Arts Alliance is one of the best things to happen in Selma for a long time.

There&8217;s an old saying that big oaks from little acorns grow.

Not long ago, an acorn fell and began to root when a group of people involved in business and the arts gathered at the St. James Hotel to talk about how to revive the community.

The meeting lasted most of the morning, but anyone attending it could feel an electric pulse surge through the room. Ideas flew back and forth. The ideas might have been a little disjointed, but the creativity in the room took hold of even those who came to observe quietly.

On Tuesday, some of those same individuals met for a longer session. They had asked a facilitator to come help them organize their ideas and help them set goals.

The striking thing about this meeting: There was little &8220;me,&8221; &8220;I&8221; or &8220;my.&8221; Instead, most of the participants talked about &8220;us&8221; and community and inclusions and working together.

Out of this meeting, the Dallas County Arts Alliance took root. It formed a steering committee

and elected Steve Grossman as its chair.

We know many of these people who sat around the table as thinkers and doers. They have the determination and the skill to energize the rest of us into making Selma a high-energy welcoming place for tourists to enjoy our history, our unique places and our people.

We look forward to working with the arts alliance in seeing Selma grow.

Perhaps several years from now, we can look back and tell the story of how the arts revived this city by the river again.