by Shawn Nowlin
Drive around Roanoke City and on any given day, you’ll likely see interracial couples holding hands, community gatherings of different ethnicities enjoying fellowship, and African Americans thriving in spaces historically reserved for White people. Just six decades ago, any such thought was unfathomable for many.
The thing about history is if we don’t learn from it, we are bound to repeat it.
The Selma to Montgomery fabled protests consisted of three marches in 1965. Nonviolent activists organized the marches to demonstrate the need for Black Americans to exercise their constitutional right to vote, despite the segregationist repression. When Alabama Governor George Wallace refused to protect the marchers, President Lyndon B. Johnson made a commitment to do so.
The first march, organized by James Bevel, took place on March 7. The second march occurred two days later. This time, police, marchers, and troopers confronted each other at the end of the bridge. When troopers stepped aside to allow them to pass, it was Dr. King who led the protestors back to church.
The final march occurred on March 21. By the end of the month, approximately 3,000 people were arrested with dozens suffering injuries that required medical attention. Today, the route is memorialized as the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.
On March 7, members of the Roanoke Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) organized an event to pay homage to those who protested 58 years ago. Mayor Sherman Lea Sr., State Senator David Suetterlin, and Councilman Luke Priddy were among those in attendance.
Bishop Edward Mitchell presided over the event while the Rev. James Jordan provided the invocation. “It’s good to remember where we’ve been and where we want to go. Let’s remember all of those who gave their lives just so you and I could sit here today without having to worry. I know sometimes it feels like we are moving backward, but we must never give up. We have children coming up, and we have to make it better for them,” Mitchell said.
Trumpeter Garry Burke performed “Lift Every Voice,” before SCLC member Greg Hunt introduced the keynote speaker, Rev. Sean Burch of Spirit of United Baptist Church.
“Fifty-eight years ago, there were a group of people who had the audacity to come together and march for voting rights. After the Civil Rights Act of 1964, there were Black leaders and activists who simply wanted equal access to the voting booth in the south,” Burch said. “Of course, with those expectations, they were met with resistance. If Blacks tried to vote, they would lose their job or credit. They suffered from threats of violence, unaffordable poll taxes, and discriminatory literacy tests. All just to keep Black folk from voting.”
Expounding on that sentiment, Mayor Lea said, “Those bold, courageous people were determined to cross that bridge. They put their lives on the line. Without those sacrifices, we wouldn’t enjoy the freedoms that we do today.”
Roanoke Police Chief Sam Roman thanked everyone in attendance before the event concluded. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to speak here today,” he said. “We must never forget our past. To create the future that we all want, we must work together.”
