Back Row, from left: Judge Pamela Wilson Cousins (left office Jan. 20, 2025); Judge Debra Weston Pickens; Judge Ruby Davis Clark; Judge Lorraine Pringle (Retired); Judge Maria Fortune. Middle Row, from left: Judge Brendette Brown Green; Judge Patricia Stephens; Judge Marshell Jackson Hatcher; Judge Javan Patton Crayton; Judge Kechia Davis; Judge Janine Hunt-Hilliard; Judge Shanta’ Owens. Front Row:, from left: Judge Agnes Chappell (Retired); Judge Tamara Harris Johnson; Presiding Court Judge Elisabeth French; Judge Annetta Verin (Retired). This photo was taken April, 2022. (Joe Songer, For The Birmingham Times)
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By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
(Women’s History Month Special)
The 60th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery March this week marks a pivotal moment in American history, honoring the foot soldiers who marched for voting rights and changed the course of democracy.
The event commemorates March 7, 1965 when a group of about 525 African American demonstrators gathered at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church to demand the right to vote. They walked six blocks to Broad Street and across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where they were met by more than 50 state troopers and a few dozen on horseback. When the demonstrators refused to turn back, they were brutally beaten.
One of the groups at the forefront of this year’s commemoration is Salute Selma, Inc., a women-led, Black-led nonprofit organization that will host number of activities March 7 through 9 dedicated to celebrating Black civic engagement, leadership, and activism while addressing the ongoing fight for justice and democracy.
Those events include a “Call to All Black Women Judges” to assemble at the Edmund Pettus Bridge for an iconic photo on Friday, March 7.
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Elisabeth French, Presiding Judge, Jefferson County Courts said the gathering can send a powerful message.
“Often times, young Black students don’t have any lawyers in their family and they don’t know any Judges on a personal level,” she said. “The assembly of this group of Black Judges sends a message that these students can finish high school. They can finish college. They can go to law school and become licensed attorneys. They can see that others who look like them have been successful and that is proof that they too can accomplish their goals.”
“I hope that the photograph encourages and inspires others to push to fulfill their hopes and dreams,” said Jefferson County Judge Pat Stephens, who plans to attend. “In looking at that photograph standing on the Edmund Pettus bridge, I hope it’s a burning flame that never goes out and inspires generations to vote.”
The events of 60 years ago have meaning today, Stephens said.
“We should reflect on the importance of the Selma March because it was tremendous act of courage for the marchers who would not be told ‘no,’” Stephens said. “People who had the courage to say, ‘we won’t give up.’ People who had the courage to say, ‘we want change.’ The courage to say, ‘we have the constitutional right to vote. We have the constitutional right to have a voice in a country that was built on the blood, sweat and tears of the ancestors.’”
Abina Billups, Co-Founder of Salute Selma, Inc. said the rights enjoyed by African Americans today came at a cost “and Selma was at the epicenter of that sacrifice. “We have a responsibility to continue this fight, to honor those who came before us, and to make sure that history is not just remembered — but protected.”
She added, “Selma is sacred ground. The blood, sweat, and sacrifice of ordinary people changed the course of history, ensuring that democracy extended beyond privilege to all. To reflect on that moment is to remind ourselves that the fight for voting rights is ongoing. Commemoration is not just about remembering—it’s about recommitting.”
Billups said that Selma is not just history, “it’s a call to action. We can’t afford to romanticize the past without recognizing the urgency of the present,” she said. “The fight for voting rights, equity, and justice is ongoing, and it demands our collective voice and action. The best way to honor those who marched 60 years ago is to keep marching today.”
Presiding Judge French said the Selma events of 1965 brought national attention to racism and injustice. “It is important to remember that the injustices occurred and to remember why they occurred in order to join together to prevent them from happening again … I want to thank the organizers of this event for recognizing the need to commemorate and for having the courage to continue to stand in the gap for justice, for voting rights and to celebrate the many accomplishments and contributions of Black women Judges.”
Earlier on the day of the photo, the Women’s Legal Symposium will convene legal professionals and scholars for a keynote conversation on democracy and justice. During this event, Salute Selma will present the Legal Guardian of Democracy Awards, recognizing trailblazers including Judges U.W. Clemons, Myron Thompson and Arnette Hubbard; Attorney Fred Gray, and Attorney Ernestine Sapp. A posthumous tribute will honor Birmingham Attorney Arthur Shores, Attorney J.L. Chestnut, and Attorney Michael Figures for their enduring contributions to the fight for Civil Rights.
The Bridge Crossing Jubilee, Inc.
Affectionately called “The Jubilee”, the organization was founded in Selma to commemorate and preserve the spirit of the struggle for the right to vote. The goal is to inspire people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds to respect and appreciate the power of their vote.
Every year the Bridge Crossing Jubilee, Inc., hosts the commemoration of this historic event and the struggle for the right to vote by gathering at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in a festival of music, art and historical remembrance.
Several years ago, this yearly event was dubbed “The Annual Pilgrimage to Selma.” Tens of thousands of people flock to Selma the first weekend of every March to hear personal stories from surviving freedom fighters from the movement and walk hand-in-hand with history makers who were willing to lay down their lives for the right to have a voice in the country they helped to build. For over a decade the heroes of the movement and a host of other civic, political and national leaders have made the annual pilgrimage to Selma, AL
For over a decade The Jubilee has attracted noted individuals from all walks of life. Past attendees have included: Rosa Parks; Mrs. Coretta Scott King; Former President Barack Obama; Congressman John Lewis; Former President Bill Clinton; Former President George W. Bush; Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton; Rev. Jesse Jackson and Andrew Young.
