By Adam Dodson | The Selma Times-Journal

A Muslim and Jewish women’s group, known as the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, visited Selma on Tuesday for a tour of the city and to look for guidance of how to peacefully protest the marginalization of their identities.

A city known as a catalyst for the voting rights movement, Selma is frequented by people from out of town who want to pay their respects to those who stood up for what they believe in.

The stop in Selma is part of their tour of the south, visiting other civil rights locations in Atlanta, Memphis, Montgomery and Birmingham as well. The tour stems from their belief that modern day society still labels stereotypes and attempts to marginalize their two religions.

Once in Selma, Salaam Shalom felt it was important to speak to foot soldiers that fought for their people during the voting rights movement. They met with foot solider and co-founder of the National Voting Rights Museum Joanne Bland to discuss their common ideals and to figure out what she learned from her own civil rights experiences.

“We are touring the American South because our mission is to promote love over hate. Based on that mission, we wanted to learn from the experts, and felt that the leaders of the civil rights movement would be the best teachers for us,” said Sheryl Olitzsky, co-founder of the group. “We felt the best way to learn would be to walk (the bridge) ourselves. We wanted to march with our own feet because we are still marching for freedom.”

The approximately 50 members received their history lessons while also getting their chance to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, most known for its setting on “Bloody Sunday.”

While events such as Bloody Sunday symbolize the level of force and violence used on African-Americans during the Jim Crow era, civil rights icons such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the “Courageous Eight” were adamant about voicing their beliefs in a peaceful manner.

Wishing to accomplish the same thing, the Sisters comprising Salaam Shalom knew there were lessons to be learned in Selma. Members of the organization called the trip “transformative.”

“I believe the Muslim and Jewish women from across America are going to go back to their communities more empowered and willing to peacefully speak out against hate,” said Olitzsky. “We don’t believe in violence, we just believe in doing things the right way.”

As to why they chose now to visit civil rights locations and learn more about peaceful protests, Olitzsky and other members such as Amy Stone say it is due to actions and inactions conducted by the current presidential administration. According to members of Salaam Shalom, their membership increased exponentially when the current administration took over in Washington, D.C.

During their time in Selma and the Black Belt, they visited and toured historical venues such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where the members eventually made their way across, absorbing every moment.

With their tour of Selma complete, the members will return home enriched in lessons from the past and present and a with a better understanding of how to impact their communities and religions.

For more information about the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, visit their website at www.sosspeace.org.