People

It was through the perseverance and dedication of average Black citizens alongside famous civil rights organizers, that the Selma to Montgomery March was a success.
Learn more about the individuals that played a role in this history:
 
  • Black and white photo of a young black man.
    Jimmie Lee Jackson

    Jackson's death sparked the movement and led to the march that became known as Bloody Sunday.

  • Newspaper article with a black and white photo of a middle-aged Black man.
    John Hulett

    John Hulett was the president of the Lowndes County Freedom Organization and became the first Black sheriff in the majority Black county.

  • Black and white portrait of a smiling white man with glasses wearing a suit and bowtie.
    Rev. James Reeb

    Rev. Reeb came to Selma to participate in the Turnaround Tuesday March. He was fatally wounded that night by white supremacists.

  • Black and white photo of a middle-aged black woman seated and wearing a polka-dot dress.
    Amelia Boynton-Robinson

    Mrs. Amelia Boynton was an instrumental civil rights leader in Selma, AL.

  • Black and white photo of a black middle-aged man speaking at a podium.
    Rev. F. D. Reese

    Rev. F. D. Reese was a leader of the Dallas County Voters League during the Alabama voting rights movement.

  • Black and white photo of a middle-aged white woman posing for a photo.
    Viola Liuzzo

    Liuzzo traveled from Detroit, MI to help with the Selma to Montgomery March. She was killed by klansmen on the last day of the march.

  • Black and white photo of a young black man standing for a police mug shot.
    Bernard LaFayette

    As a SNCC field agent, LaFayette arrived in Selma in 1963 to assist with the ongoing voting rights movement there.

  • Black and white photo of a young black woman looking to the side with a smile on her face.
    Colia Liddell LaFayette Clark

    As a fellow SNCC field secretary with her then husband, Bernard LaFayette, she helped organize the voting rights movement in Alabama.

  • Black and white photo of a young black man wearing overalls and standing with his arms crossed.
    James "Jim" Forman

    James Forman was a field secretary with SNCC during the Selma to Montgomery Marches where he organized the "Second Front" in Montgomery.

Last updated: May 8, 2025

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