On Saturday, writers and family members will be on hand to sign copies of the new book on Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Reese at the Selma-Dallas County Public Library.

The event will kick-off at 2 p.m.

The book, entitled “Selma’s Self-Sacrifice,” details more than just the contributions made by Reese, who died last year, during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Reese was a native of Selma and rose to national acclaim as a member of the “Courageous Eight,” the group that originally invited Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to come to Selma and participate in the Voting Rights Movement of 1965.

Reese’s role in the struggle for equality stretched far and wide – while teaching at R.B. Hudson High School, Reese became a member of the Dallas County Voters League, which became the area’s prime civil rights organization once the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was suppressed in 1956.

Two years later, he was elected to lead the organization.

As an educator, and president of the Selma Teachers Association, Reese led a march of 105 teachers on the county courthouse in an effort to register to vote.

Reese went on to become the pastor of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Selma, as well as a member of the Selma City Council.

“A lot of people don’t know the full story,” said Alan Reese, grandson of the civil rights icon. “You don’t get all of the parts that you should.”

Alan Reese said he had been encouraging his grandfather to write a book for several years before his death, noting that he saw pictures of him in history books and had him come speak to students about the movement.

“Of course, a lot of people already know about the movement,” Alan Reese said. “Our goal was to not just focus on the movement.”

The new book, which compiles portions of a book started by the reverend with interviews conducted by co-author Kathy Walters, will take a deeper dive into the activist’s childhood and family life.

“I feel like, if you love F.D. Reese, you should get this book,” Alan Reese said. “I guarantee you will learn things you did not know.”

The new book is a product of the F.D. Reese Foundation and can be purchased at www.fdreese.com.