The Selma-Dallas County Friends of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail will resume the Courageous Free Thinkers Celebration, its series of events to commemorate Bloody Sunday.

Annually held at the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Selma, The Courageous Free Thinkers Celebration is a series of speaker panels and programs honoring the “Courageous Eight”—eight voting rights activists who led the Dallas County Voters League in Selma during the voting rights movement: Amelia Boynton-Robinson, Marie Foster, Rev. Henry Shannon, Earnest Doyle, James Gildersleeve, Ulysses Blackmon, J. D. Hunter, and Frederick D. Reese.

Minister and educator Rev. F.D. Reese presided over the congregation of Ebenzer Baptist Church for 50 years. The recently re-elected James Perkins Jr., who became the first Black mayor of Selma in 2000, is the current pastor of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church.

Now in its seventh year, the mission of the Courageous Free Thinkers Celebration is two-fold: to honor the Courageous Eight and challenge the community to have thought-provoking discussions, often based on current events in Selma.

The theme of this year’s celebration is Selma: Opportunity and Invitation.

“This topic opens the doors for discussion of opportunities for solutions in a post-COVID and post-tornado-struck Selma,” organizers of the celebration said in a press release. “Specifically, the organization is looking to explore the relationships between Latin American and African American communities as an opportunity to contribute to Selma’s solution.”

On Jan. 12, an EF-2 tornado stuck Selma, leaving a large swath of damage in its path. The tornado had a path width of 800 yards and an estimated peak wind speed of 130 mph, according to a storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service forecast office in Birmingham.

The Courageous Free Thinkers Celebration will commence on Saturday, March 4, and conclude on Sunday, March 5. The weekend will be divided into a panel discussion and a worship service.

The panel discussion will take place on March 4 at 6:00 p.m. with seven speakers: Tony Henshaw, Principal of the Henshaw Group, LLC; Judith Zambrano and Frank Barragan of the Alabama Coalition of Immigrant Justice; Jim Corrigan, President of Craig Industrial Park; Lydia Chatmon, the director of Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Selma initiative, and Felicia Jackson, Executive Director of the Alabama Rural Coalition for the Homeless. Helenor Bell, the former mayor of Hayneville, Ala. and the CEO of HT Bell Connections will moderate the discussion.

“This panel discussion is an opportunity to explore the ways, means, and the will to reverse population decline and rebuild Selma by extending an invitation for working families who are looking for the type of opportunity that exists in Selma,” Rev. James Perkins, Jr., said in the same press release. “Selma needs families with employability skills and children and adults who are eager to learn and build community; there is no silver bullet. However, could an intentional relationship between the Latin American and African American communities contribute to Selma’s solution? I believe that’s a topic worth discussing.”

The Courageous Free Thinkers program will culminate on Sunday at 9:00 am with a worship service. United States Congressman James E. Clyburn of South Carolina’s 6th District will be the speaker. Rep. Clyburn will also be honored with the Courageous Free Thinkers Award.

In August, Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church celebrated its centennial, commemorating 100 years in ministry in the Selma-Dallas County area.