The March for Selma Lives meeting will be held Sunday at the Church Street United Methodist Church.

The first meet and greet planning section starts at 5 p.m. and expected to end at 8 p.m. in the church’s fellowship hall. The meeting’s purpose is to organize a march and protest in an effort to increase safety in Selma.  The overall theme is Selma Under Siege.

“I was reading so many comments about public safety that we felt we needed to act, so I started inviting friends, and their friends invited folks,” March for Selma Lives group member Trea Newsome said.

Here are the other March for Selma Lives group members: protest co-leaders Mary Carter Simmons, Amy Collins Carmichael, Clay Carmichael, Ashley Sparks Colburn and Nathaniel Bennett and Protest Speaker Guest Tom Headley.

The March for Selma Lives posted on its Facebook page about criticism of lack of African-Americans in the protest. 

“I have heard concerns that not enough African-Americans are included in this,” Newsome said. “Someone who I talk to daily brought it to my attention. We just started Thursday night. We haven’t even had our first meeting yet.

“We invite everyone. We invite all churches, pastors, the community to be together in this. In order for us to be successful, it has to include everyone. But it will take more than a day to get things organized.”

Lance Eiland is the pastor of Church Street United Methodist Church, located on 214 Church Street.