Visitation set for Friday for civil rights leader Joanne Bland, with bridge crossing on March 4

Funeral arrangements have been announced for civil rights leader Joanne Bland, who passed away on Thursday.

Visitation will be held on Friday, Feb. 27 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. at Aubrey Larkin's Lewis Brothers Funeral Home of Selma on Minter Avenue in Selma.

The family will hold a celebration of life on March 4 at the convention center at 211 Washington St. from 2-4 p.m. followed by a crossing of the bridge from 4-5 p.m.

At 4 p.m., Foot Soldiers Park's office on Water Avenue will be open for a reception.

Bland was a child when she marched for equal voting rights with thousands of protestors over the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday in 1965. In her adulthood, she led efforts to educate others about the Civil Rights Movement, about Selma’s role in the effort and worked to preserve Selma civil rights landmarks. She operated a tour company and founded Foot Soldiers Park to share the stories of Selma's role in the civil rights movement.