In March 1965, there were three attempts to march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama, to secure voting rights for Black Americans. The final successful attempt began on Sunday, March 21, 1965, with 3,000 people walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to start the march and ending at the steps of the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, on Thursday, March 25.
The first campsite was located approximately 7.8 miles away from Selma on the land of David Hall. One of the homes still stands today. From this campsite, many people returned to Selma because the highway was narrowing and Lowndes County had imposed limits on the marchers’ movement through the county. You can read a fuller history of Campsite One here.
The march from the first campsite to Rosie Steele’s farm was just over fifteen miles. Ms. Steele was a farmer and general store owner. Unfortunately, her home and store were lost in a fire in 1967. (I searched and could not find whether this was an accidental fire or arson. If anyone knows, please message me.)
For a fuller description on the Rosie Steele farm, please read the National Park Service’s information on the site.
The next campsite was just over 12.5 miles away. The marchers were drenched after spending the day in the rain. When they arrived at the final campsite, the grounds were incredibly muddy. Robert Gardner put down hay and tried to improve the conditions of the campsite. For a fuller story on Campsite 3, please read the National Park Service’s information.
The final campsite was in Montgomery, Alabama, at the City of St. Jude, a Black Catholic church.
Viola Liuzzo
Along the route is a memorial to Viola Liuzzo, a white woman who was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan. She and Anthony Moton, a 19-year-old Black man, were shuttling marchers back to Selma from Montgomery. They stopped in Lowndes County to get gas, where they were met with threats. Once back on the road, four Klansmen pursued them, attempted to run them off the road, and fired into their car, killing Liuzzo. Thankfully, Moton was not injured. Covered in Liuzzo’s blood, he remained motionless, causing the Klansmen to assume he was dead as well. After they left, Moton was able to flag down help.
The murderers were captured within 24 hours and were found guilty of their crimes.
