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During the weekend of the jubilee, an “Invisible Giants” conference was held at Selma High school to honor and highlight the “Invisible Giants” within the Selma community and those within the Voting Rights Movement back in 1965.

Many members of the community were honored by several students within the community, shining an impactful light on their courageous effort to be within their lives, marking them as “Invisible Giants” who always saw them, even in times no one else could or did.

“The Invisible Giants ceremony during the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee honors individuals who made significant contributions within the lives of those impacted but have not received the widespread recognition,” according to an online post from the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee.

This event also highlights their sacrifices and their impactfulness, ensuring that their legacies are preserved as part of the ongoing fight for justice and equality.

“In her eyes, she was more than just my fifth-grade teacher,” said Keshaye Savage, who is now a junior at Selma High, showcasing the legacy and the impact that her teacher Mrs. Rita Carmichael left on her as a young student within her class at Meadowview Elementary School

Mrs. Carmichael has fourteen years of experience being a Teacher at MES, where Savage continued to say that, “She was one of the first people to make you feel special, to make me believe in my own intelligence and work. You are an invisible giant because you have uplifted so many of us without seeking recognition, your love, guidance and dedication have left a mark on me that will never fade.”

Savage added to Carmichael’s dedication speech by saying, “We are grateful for the way that you shape our lives, and we honor you today as an extraordinary teacher and mentor that you are.”

Like this high school student within the conference, several students highlighted their “invisible Giants” the same way, with empathy, impactfulness and a heart full of gratitude for the efforts of the person or persons that came before them.

“I was shocked because I didn’t know what it was,” said Carmichael. “I didn’t know why I was invited there to the school and to find out that you are someone invisible giant, someone that inspires them, that’s why we teach and educate and it was quite humbling for someone to recognize me for what I have been doing and what I love.”

Carmichael said Savage was not presently there at the ceremony, during the time of the reading and that she was off with FBLA, which is the Future Business Leaders of America organization with students of her school and she said Savage told one of her close friends to read Carmichael her dedication note, so that her good deed can still be done.

After the local dedication ceremony of the Invisible Giants event, several women from Africa were recognized as well, then a musical reenactment of the efforts of Marie Foster and Amelia Boynton Robinson was showcased through Faya Ora Rose Touré and her daughter, Malika Fortier.

The event continued on with songs from the freedom singers and the rest of the event, marked a dedication of life and legacy for those who were recognized throughout.