Selma youth artists create mural honoring Freedom Riders, voting rights

A community art project in downtown Selma is bringing together young artists, civic organizations and participants in a national Freedom Ride commemoration as part of an effort to connect art, history and voter engagement. 

The mural project is tied to "The Ride," a national bus tour retracing the route of the 1961 Freedom Riders while encouraging civic participation ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The tour stopped in Selma on Tuesday before continuing to its final destination in New Orleans. 

Helene Taylor, founder of Making Art Connections Across Selma, said the project began after she was contacted by Carey Fountain of Foot Soldiers Park to identify a featured artist for the tour's Selma stop. 

"We call ourselves MACAS, Making Art Connections Across Selma, and this is a prime example," Taylor said.

Rather than selecting a single artist, Taylor chose to involve members of her youth art club as a learning experience. The mural is on a wall near Foot Soldier’s Park in the 1800 block of Selma Avenue

"I have five young 20-year-olds in my youth art club whose skills and talents are really at a young adult level," Taylor said. "We used it as a teaching opportunity." 

Taylor said participants were asked to submit proposals, artist statements and sketches, similar to the process professional artists use when applying for public art projects. Two club members developed concepts that were combined into the final mural design. 

The mural follows the theme "Let It Flow," selected by organizers of The Ride. Taylor said the design incorporates both Selma's riverfront setting and themes related to voting rights and justice. 

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According to Taylor, artist Caitlin Patterson's portion of the mural features Lady Justice holding a ballot box alongside people casting ballots or participating in demonstrations. Another section, created by Taylor Mott, depicts the Edmund Pettus Bridge and its reflection in the water. 

Taylor said riders participating in the national tour were also invited to contribute to the artwork.

"They will be doing some of the painting and I think adding their own details," she said. "So it is a collaboration of artists, a collaboration of community organizations, Foot Soldiers Park, Making Art Connections Across Selma, and The Ride." 

The Ride marks the 65th anniversary of the Freedom Rides of 1961. Organizers describe it as a nonpartisan effort focused on encouraging voter participation and supporting a fair and open democratic process. The 12 day tour traveled through eight states and Washington, D.C., stopping in communities connected to the Civil Rights Movement before concluding in New Orleans. 

The coalition behind The Ride includes faith based and civic organizations that say the project aims to honor the legacy of Freedom Riders while encouraging Americans to vote. Original Freedom Riders, family members and community leaders joined portions of the journey. 

For Taylor, the Selma mural represents more than a public art project.

"They are stopping in different places that were important to the Freedom Ride and igniting those spaces with art," she said. "They are using art as social justice."