Selma Fiftieth Anniversary Symposium: “From Selma to Ferguson: What Have We Learned?” @1stUU

Next month marks the fiftieth anniversary of the civil rights demonstrations for voting rights that took place in Selma, Alabama in 1965. Televised police attacks on non-violent, African American marchers challenged the nation’s conscience. In response, thousands of people, black and white, young and old, streamed into Selma from all over the nation to join the struggle. All participants knew they were risking their lives but believed they were doing so in the name of justice. Ultimately, the Selma campaign prodded the federal government into enacting the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed most forms of discrimination in voting.  Today we commemorate the Selma struggle and its historic achievements, in a symposium that includes historians, activists, and people of faith. We also explore the lessons of Selma for our own times, as the nation once again is gripped by struggles over voting rights and the troubling deaths of African American citizens at the hands of white police officers.   This panel discussion is hosted by the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio, in honor of two UUs who gave their lives while marching in Selma: minister James Reeb of Boston, and lay member Viola Liuzzo of Detroit. The event is free and open to the public.

Moderator:  William S. Bush, Associate Professor of History, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, First UU Church of San Antonio member
Panelists:
Mario Salas, educator and civil rights activist, former member, San Antonio chapter of SNCC
Diane Duesterhoeft (tentative), First UU Church of San Antonio / COPS Metro member
Carey Latimore, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of History, Trinity University