Monday afternoon the Library of Congress special traveling exhibition rolled into  Selma with an 18-wheeler full of excitement.

The display will offer the people of the Black Belt free access to the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution.

The exhibition features reproductions of such treasures as the 1507 Waldseemuller Map which was the first to use the word “America,” the 1455 Gutenberg Bible, the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence in Thomas Jefferson’s handwriting with edits by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, and 1962 sketches of the comic book phenomenon Spider-Man, to name a few.

The city of Selma and ArtsRevive should be applauded for bringing such an exciting exhibit to the Black Belt. Many times the region does not have access to programs like the traveling exhibition because of our location and sparse population. The exhibit is a chance for students and their parents to see something they would not have had the opportunity to see and may never see again.

It is important that we take full advantage of the display while it is in town to ensure the efforts of those who worked so hard to bring this information to us were not in vain.

The exhibit plans to make 60 stops in states across the Midwest and South during the year. We are extremely fortunate to be one of the locations on that list.

Now that the display is here, it is important that we as residents of the Black Belt come out in full force and support our visitors.

The enthusiasm we show for this display could lead to more opportunities in the future.

We often hear complaints from those who say the Black Belt is neglected and does not draw the same opportunities as other areas of the state and nation. Now that we have one of those rare opportunities, it is important that we take full advantage of the visit.

The display will be parked downtown next to the Selma Interpretive Center Tuesday and Wednesday and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Please take the opportunity to walk through and show your appreciation to those who made it happen.  A strong interest in this program could attract similar displays in the future.