Foot Soldiers Park marked its fourth anniversary and honored three local Civil Rights heroes as part of the 60th Anniversary commemoration of Bloody Sunday.
People from around the world gathered at the park on Selma Avenue on March 8 to commemorate the Bloody Sunday march, the event that sparked the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The event honored Eliza Manuel, Sadie Mitchell Moss and Lynda Lowery.
Manuel, of Minter and Selma, was a Foot Soldier who marched in marches from 1963 to 1965.
Moss of Orrville and Selma is a career educator with over 50 years of experience. A summer program at McRae-Gaines Learning Center is named after her.
Lowery was the youngest child to participate in the 1965 marches, where she received an injury to her head that required 35 stitches. Her steadfast nature led her back to the bridge for “Turn Around Tuesday,” where the march from Selma to Montgomery was completed.
Today, she continues her advocacy for the Selma community and for educating Americans on the history of the Civil Rights movement. She recently retired from Cahaba Mental Health where she served as their senior case manager, according to the program.
The program also highlighted Foot Soldiers Park’s Youth Advisory Board, a national advisory board of distinguished students with an alumni chapter of young adults.
The Institute for Common Power was also highlighted in the program. The Institute brings learning tours to Selma throughout the year.
During the celebration, popular musician and comedian “Uncle Daddy” performed, DJ Double J emceed the event and the Clutch Band serenaded the crowd for most of the day.
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