Selma: 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday

I arrived in Selma on the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery March, when the small Alabama town was filled with thousands of people who had come to remember, to honor, and to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

But what stayed with me was not simply the history.

It was the people.

A man who had traveled overnight from Florida, fulfilling a decades-old dream of standing on the steps of Tabernacle Baptist Church. A preacher standing quietly at the end of the bridge, seemingly lost in memory. And a young boy in a suit and tie, walking away from the bridge with his future ahead of him.

I watched. I listened. I photographed.

And somewhere in the midst of more than 20,000 people—people of different races, religions, backgrounds, and ways of life—I realized I had been given an answer to the question that began my journey across America.

They were walking together.

And there was no anger.

Only remembrance, reverence, and a shared sense of purpose.

For me, Selma became more than a place in American history. It became a glimpse of what might still be possible.

I met this man, dressed to the nines in honor of the momentous day of celebration and homage, wearing a beige trench coat and an ascot cap. He was standing on the steps of the historic Tabernacle Baptist Church, on Broad Street. I approached him, a
My awareness was guided to this preacher who stopped at the end of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, after making his pilgrimage walk across, and back again. It wasn’t just the awareness of him standing there. It was the acute awareness of his posture, and
I noticed this young African-American boy, dressed in a suit, and tie, emerging from the bridge. This awareness afforded me the time to watch, and study the scene as it unfolded, so that I could position myself in the best possible way to capture th
A large crowd gathers on a city street for a protest or demonstration. A man in the center appears to be speaking or shouting, while others listen or take photos. The scene is outdoors under a cloudy sky, with buildings and American flags visible in
People participating in a demonstration or rally on a bridge, holding signs and American flags, with a large bridge structure labeled 'Edmond Pettus Bridge' in the background.
A diverse group of people gather on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, holding unity signs during the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Selma marches, honoring the legacy of the civil rights movement.
More than 20,000 people march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, during the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Selma marches, carrying signs of unity and honoring the legacy of the civil rights movement.
More than 20,000 people march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, during the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Selma marches, carrying signs of unity and honoring the legacy of the civil rights movement.
A young African American boy rides on his father’s shoulders as thousands cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, during the 50th anniversary commemoration of the civil rights marches.
People participating in a march or protest, holding large portraits of individuals with names and birthplaces, including Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, and Addie Mae Collins from Birmingham, 1963. The scene takes place outdoors with a cloudy sky and
A large crowd of people gathered outdoors under a cloudy sky, with a person holding a flag that has the word 'SOLID' written on it, decorated with flowers.
African American women walk arm in arm across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, during the 50th anniversary commemoration of the historic civil rights marches, symbolizing unity, resilience, and remembrance.
Two people take a selfie on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, during the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Selma marches, capturing a modern moment of remembrance at a landmark of civil rights history.