Travel Guide Selma

Selma is a city of 20,500 inhabitants located on the Alabama River, about fifty miles from Montgomery. It seems to have remained frozen in time, emblematic of a deep south, rather poor and still marked by the scars of its past. The city has a small downtown with a few stores and restaurants, but it is mainly for its many historic sites related to the civil rights struggle that visitors visit. Despite its small size, Selma has been the scene of major events in the time of racial segregation and demonstrations to restore the civil rights of the African-American community. It is thanks, in particular, to the Brave 8, the leaders of the Dallas County Voting League, an association that worked for African-American votes that Selma was particularly active in the struggle for civil rights and with their decisions to invite Martin Luther King to participate in their rallies. The famous pastor came regularly to support and encourage the community. Among the most striking events, the Bloody Sunday, or bloody Sunday, an attempt to protest that resulted in horrific violence and a few days later, the departure of the famous Selma-Montgomery march. Meeting the inhabitants of Selma is first of all to experience the hospitality of the South, but it is also an opportunity to discuss with people who have lived themselves these events and have witnessed scenes, today difficult to conceive. Plan for half an hour at least to cross the Edmund Pettus bridge, an essential part of a passage to Selma.