The National Voting Rights Museum and Institute inducted more than six officials and foot soldiers of the voting rights movement into its Women’s and Legal Guardians Hall of Fames Friday afternoon.

Activists such as Colia Lafayette-Clark, former wife of Benard Lafayette, Department of Justice attorney John Doar, former Washington D.C. mayor and current D.C. council representative Marion Barry and Federal Judge U.W. Clemons, were some of the inductees in attendance Friday.

Clark, 70, came to Selma in 1963 with her husband to help organize the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in seven Alabama counties and participate in mass meetings. She spoke of how she and her colleagues were threatened by then-Dallas County Sheriff Jim Clark and his deputies for registering African-Americans to vote and how she was beaten to near blindness by then-Birmingham commissioner of Public Safety, Bull Conner, when trying to take her efforts to Birmingham.

“We didn’t know what would happen and we had mixed emotions,” Clark said. “But we knew we wouldn’t leave until we organized. We had to be a part of the mass meetings.”

Mass meetings would take place at Tabernacle Baptist and First Baptist churches. Clark said she was “deeply honored” for the recognition of her efforts.

Barry, who was the first chairman of SNCC, was mayor of Washington D.C. for more than 16 years. He was glad to be a part of the struggle.

“What a great day today is,” Barry said. “I thank God for this day. I feel honored to be here today with so many people that have walked the path to justice before me and with me.”

State Sen. Hank Sanders, co-founder of NVRM, was honored to welcome Clemons into the Legal Guardian Hall of Fame.

“He has served us well on the legal front,” Sanders said. “He had a lot of courage.”

Lowndes County activist Ruby Sales, Mississippi activists Robert Moses and Lawrence Guyot were also inducted but were unable to attend.