Murals representing each ward that were made at the Selma Rising event on Oct. 19 were celebrated at the inaugural Selma Unity Festival Sunday, Oct. 20, at Phoenix Park in downtown Selma.
The event showcased murals from Making Arts Connections Across Selma, Carey Fountain of Foot Soldiers Park and AJ Sunami, along with Selma Rising Mural Festival partners Mary and Tom Katzenmeyer, and Doug and Monica Kridler. The Selma Unity Festival celebrated the murals painted for each ward, which was completed on the day before, at the Selma Rising Mural Festival.
The Oct. 20 Selma Unity Festival was created by Terry Chestnut of the Smooth Jazz Café with co-host Randy Williams. Both were there as radio personalities also, touting the spirited Selma AM station AM 1490-WHBB.
It was a colorful event. Each mural reflected the culture of Selma. They were all placed on large easels surrounding Phoenix Park’s edges and will be placed inside every ward in Selma.
Vivian Rogers and former district attorney Michael Jackson were out and about smiling and talking with everyone. Rogers is running for the Dallas County Commissioner’s seat this year, and she stopped by the radio station’s tent to give a few encouraging words to everyone and to remind everyone to come out and vote this election season.
Sheriff Mike Granthum spoke on WHBB’s mic, as did State Rep. Prince Chestnut, who reflected on community engagement and voting.
Bruce “the Juice” Holmes, a Selma radio host from the early 2000s, told the audience about the days when Selma got its first radio station.
Foot Soldiers Park’s Community Engagement Corps. hosted a voter registration and education table near the murals on the left side of Phoenix Park. They made attendees aware of the Oct. 21 deadline to register to vote at the Nov. 5 election. They registered those that were surprised by the Oct. 21 deadline.
Tisdale’s Backyard BBQ was there feeding everyone and children at play also were able to enjoy some cold waters and soda.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.