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The Selma Class of 1975 is returning to the city for a huge milestone.

Saints who were in the class will be celebrating their 50th class reunion during series of events this weekend.

It began Friday night with a meet-and-greet and continues Saturday with a tour of the high school, a brunch at the convention center and a banquet. Then on Sunday, they will worship together at the Tabernacle of Praise church followed by dinner at Selma staple, Lannie’s BBQ.

JoAnn Owden, one of the class members, said she is excited for the reunion this weekend.

“To be able to be alive 50 years later after graduating from Selma High School, I’m just blessed,” Owden said.”I’m just here by the grace of God.”

One of the notable moments of the Class of 1975 was that they were ninth graders when they experienced integration. For their ninth grade years, they went to separate junior highs on the east and west sides of town based on geography, but they came back together in the fall of 1972 when they started at Selma High School in the 10th grade.

“Our parents always told us that integration was coming,” said Donald G. Jefferson, a member of the SHS Class of 1975. “It took 17 years for Brown vs. Board of Education to finally reach Selma. So we knew it was coming.

“They told us that we were going to have to do three to four times better than our classmates to be taken seriously. I’m sure there were similar discussions in our Caucasian classmates’ homes. But it didn’t happen that way.

“I am so proud to be a part of this class. We had great teachers who were thought way ahead of their time.”

Jefferson said the experience prepared him for the rest of his life. After graduating from Selma, he attended Livingston College, now known as the University of West Alabama.

“We were kind of a vanguard for Selma,” Jefferson said. “We were such a great class, and it’s such a blessing to get to see so many of our classmates that we haven’t seen for a long time. And this might be one of the last reunions that we will ever have, especially one that many of the class will be able to attend.”