President Joe Biden to visit Selma for Bloody Sunday anniversary jubilee
President Joe Biden will travel to Selma on Sunday to commemorate the 58th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
The trip will be Biden’s first as president. Last year, Vice President Kamala Harris took part in the annual march across the Edmund Pettus bridge to mark a key moment in the civil rights movement. In 2021, the Selma Jubilee went virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The jubilee comes nearly two months after a tornado hit Selma and surrounding counties, causing heavy damage to the Queen City. The storm killed nine people in Autauga County on Jan. 12 and left many Selma residents displaced from their homes.
“On March 7, 1965, Selma was the scene of a devastating political storm. Our beloved community faced another storm that caused great damage on Jan. 12, 2023, when a tornado ravaged the city. Selma has withstood tremendous obstacles. We know the next storm will make us stronger, and the Jubilee will go on March 2-5, 2023,” jubilee organizers stated in a news release.
As of earlier this month, the city was still dealing with debris from the storm.
Read more: 1 in 11 Black Belt children go without meals regularly. Here’s how to help.
Read more: How to help survivors of Selma, Autauga County tornado in Alabama.
A detailed itinerary of the president’s visit is not yet available.
Local groups say they hope to hear how the president plans to help the community “build back better.”
“Real change and transformation begins with leaders listening to community voices and working in solidarity with them to address the urgency of the moment,” said Felecia Lucky, president of the Black Belt Community Foundation, an organization working with the Selma mayor’s office and local community partners to fundraise for and help oversee redevelopment efforts after the tornado.
“Since the tornado of Jan. 12 that devastated Selma and the surrounding Black Belt, it is more apparent than ever that marginalized communities have to build back better to prepare for future climate impact. We look forward to hearing how this will be done equitably with the voices of communities impacted at the table.”
The full schedule of events for this weekend’s Selma Jubilee can be found here.