Dear Aunt Selma,

It was absolutely wonderful to reconnect with you and other family members last weekend in Alabama. I could feel how happy my daddy would’ve been to see us all together. I can just picture him smiling broadly on Saturday morning. Speaking of that morning, I thoroughly enjoyed sharing breakfast with your fellow classmates at the Annual Foot Soldiers Breakfast held at Selma High School. Throughout the gathering, I couldn’t help but laugh and listen attentively as Mrs. Givan recounted the times when you and your peers would slip out of class, led by your little brother, to attend mass meetings at Brown Temple Church. Additionally, Mrs. Chisom enlightened me about Mr. Charles Maulin, a dedicated local organizer who prepared his classmates and other youth for the challenges of the civil rights movement before the tragic events of Bloody Sunday. I felt truly honored to be entrusted with sharing your poignant stories with TVOne, which will be airing soon.

Before my trip to see you, my only understanding of Bloody Sunday came from the perspectives shared within integrated schools and HBCUs, often narrated by white professors with racist undertones.

Speaking of HBCUs, I was shocked to learn that you were a foot soldier on the Edmund Pettus Bridge during Bloody Sunday. What’s even more astonishing is the fact that you were just 12 years old on that fateful day. The fading images captured by Dr. Robert White, an Alabama State University Professor and the founder of Highway.Org, document the tremendous efforts leading up to and through Bloody Sunday.

Some of your fellow graduates from R.B. Hudson High School, the first public high school for African-Americans in Selma completed in 1949, radiated vitality, creativity, and positive energy. As you all would say, they truly are “a blessing to be around.”

Without a doubt, the highlight of your day was breakfast with Maxim Waters and Martin Luther King III. You couldn’t contain your excitement when you talked about it. You were absolutely right; it was impressive to see around 10,000 people crossing that bridge. It felt like an endless stream of people coming over that hill. I can hardly believe that Miss Annie Pearl continues to cross that very bridge to this day, after being the only Black woman arrested on Bloody Sunday.

Considering all that our people have endured on that bridge, it feels only fitting to rename the bridge, currently named after a Klan member, to something more appropriate, perhaps the Foot Soldiers Bridge, to honor those who fought for our rights and dignity.

I’m sending you all my love and positive energy through this letter, especially since your phone hasn’t been working well since those tornadoes a few years ago. Please extend my greetings to your classmates and convey my love to everyone in little Selma, Alabama. From those who remain with us to those who left us too soon, and to those still in Dallas, Lowndes, and Perry County, who are fighting the good fight for Black empowerment from Tuskegee to the George Washington Carver Public Houses. I see you, and now the world will witness our struggles and triumphs together.

It’s unfortunate that there isn’t a national movement currently organizing the Black grassroots to connect with the grass tops, similar to what SNCC and SCLC accomplished in Alabama during the 1960s under the leadership of Ella Baker. This lack of organization is truly disheartening.

Perhaps you’re right, Aunt Selma. Maybe it’s time for me to dust off my organizing hat and take more proactive steps to contribute to our community.

P.S. Please remind Damien that he owes me a plate from the best spot in Alabama when I return.

Love You More,

Tory Russell is a Ferguson Uprising organizer, an internationally recognized leader in the Black movement, a speaker, and a political strategist. He serves as the Director of Organizing at the International Black Freedom Alliance and has previously created impactful content for NewsOne, including iOne Digital’s groundbreaking podcast series, “Witness to History: Ferguson 10.” His insights have been featured in numerous media outlets such as Ebony, Essence, BET, Revolt TV, Black Agenda Report, CNN, MSNBC, and many others around the globe.

SEE ALSO:

Reflecting on the Ongoing Fight: We Crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge 60 Years After Bloody Sunday

Remembering ‘Bloody Sunday’: Honoring the Selma to Montgomery Marches from 59 Years Ago