During their visit over the weekend, GirlTrek held a virtual townhall meeting with Selma leaders at Tabernacle Baptist Church.

GirlTrek co-founders Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Gordon spoke with Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth and Reconciliation (CNTR) Executive Director Ainka Jackson, Selma City Councilwoman Jannie Thomas and Community Organizer Callie Greer.

When asked about the ideas to change Selma, all leaders had a clear vision of what they the Queen City to be like.

From ending division, keeping the younger generation on the right path and ending poverty, all ideas presented were parts to the solution.

Jackson said the youth must get taught about the historical figures who fought for Civil Rights during the 1950s and ’60s, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Amelia Boynton-Robinson and Marie Foster.

“Our young people need to know who came before them,” Jackson said. “I love Martin Luther King, I love Amelia Boynton and I love Marie Foster, but they’re not coming back.”

Those that want Selma to continue moving forward must remember those that have come before us that got the ideas started.

Follow after what they started and help bring Selma into what the original vision is meant to be.

The next generations should be involved in changing Selma as much as those have been before them.

It is a continuous process that must not be stopped.