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On Thursday morning, two commemorative plaques were unveiled at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge at the front of the “Songs of Selma” Park through a collaborative effort with the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, Wells Fargo, the National Park Service among many others including the Tabernacle Baptist Church Legacy Foundation.

The monuments are located on either side of the park’s entrance for members of the community and visitors to learn and remember the history of the Voting Rights Movement.

“Wells Fargo Bank is so proud to dedicate these plaques, illustrating the fight for voting rights to our nation, to the City of Selma,” said David Willams, Regional Bank Executive for Wells Fargo. “On March 7, 1965 John Lewis and Rev. Hosea Williams led the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where they were met with the line of state troopers and county troopers poised to attack. This day, we will mark a critical turning point within the Civil Rights Movement, leading the passage of the Voting Rights Act just months later, honoring the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.”

 

Williams continued his speech during the event by saying, “These two plaques follow the civil rights in America from 1918 where Selma chartered one of Alabama’s first NAACP charters to 2020 when America elected the nation’s first African American Vice President Kamala Harris.”

Like Williams, Danielle Wooten from the City of Selma’s Planning and Development Department acknowledged the momentous occasion saying.

“We know Selma’s history is American history, and because of that, we are thankful for this opportunity and the partnership of Wells Fargo Bank as well as the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation for taking the opportunity to continue to share the stories and fight the good fight,” Wooten said.

Right before the unveiling of the plaques, Detria Everson, President and CEO of the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, spoke on the behalf of the organization.

“That these plaques will stand here not merely as a marker of history, but enduring tributes to the journey of voting rights, our journey forged by individuals who, against all odds, firmly believe that the right to vote should belong to everyone,” Everson said. “They honor the bravery of ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges, who preserved through faith, unity and love.”

The displays are available to view anytime by the general public. Everson said she wants people who came to the historical event to take away the fact that everyday citizens came together to make extraordinary things in history take place. She believes resiliency, faith and unity are the three pillars that will continue to make the world a better place.

“I want them to read and view these images on these plaques,” Everson said. “Read the captions and to be inspired to get up and go out and do something to make this world more loving, more just and more peaceful for everyone.”