’59. Six

SCARLET AND aLAclt

Friday, March 10, INI

Selma Vie wed As Scene of Racial Progress

By Bob Hodlerne

The demonstration: at Sel-
ma mark several significant
turning points in the civil
rights movement Regardless
{what may happen in the next
ew days, the events of last
$unday and Monday will, in
the long run, be of the greatest
importance to the Selma dem-
Onstrations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most obvious turning
point in the civil rights move-
ment was, of course, the great—
er involvement of the churches
of AmeriCa, In the past the
churches made statements
supporting civil rights but had
never been active.

The killing of the Boston Uni-
tarian minister, 38 year-old
James Reeb, brought the
church actively into the move-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE SELMA DEMONSTRATORS maintained a iweniy—ieur
hour vigil oi the “Seine Rope." The dernensiraiors—rninis.
iers, priesis. nuns, rabbis, siudenis. and iswnspeople —
ung, chanied. and prayed in spiie of a sieady, unseascn.
ably cold rain (abovel. When ircopers slapped one oi.
1empied march at the rope. the ministers and student!
broke and ran in all direciions. Al Lingo': siaie iroapers
iollowed in "non-violent" pursuir [belcw) uniil police and
dernonsiraiers alike were spread over an area oi sorne nine

lquare blocks.

‘1?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE MAIN-STAY oi ihe conlinuing demensiraiion was youih. The crowd ._ numbering
several hundred during the day and perhaps seventy-five af night—managed lo rnainiain
an impressive morale. The demonsiraiors worked in shiirs wirh ihe youih accepiing ihe bulk
oi rho work during ihe nighi. Those who were noi ”on ihe line" slepi on pews in Brown-s
Chapel A.M.E. Church. Al ihe mosl unexpected rnorneni when rho crowd seerned masi’ iired.
a new leader would siep iorward to lead songs and raise spiriis (above).

ment. Sunday in Selma
churches or literally every faith
ill the country were represent-
ed, some sending their highest
ranking oificial. For the first
time in nearly 15 centuries an
Archbishop of the Greek Or»
thodox Church and a bishop of
the Roman Catholic Church
sat on the same platform,
shook handsY and spoke for the
same cause.

At the same time there was
another change, perhaps more

subtle, and perhaps a result of ,
involve- ’

the greater church
merit. For the first time a
Southern lawrenforcement ofr
iicer and CivileRights demon-
strators were able to effect a
working understanding.
Selma’s Public Safety Direc-
tor Wilson Baker, a lawyer
and onetime professor of
criminology at the University
of Alabama, is unique among
Southern polices While certain-

 

ly no integrationist, Baker was

 

able to attempt impartial and
objective law-enforcement
The demonstrators, similar
ly, were under the responsible
and mature leadership of the
Southern Christian Leadership
Conference. They responded to
the change in attitude of the
local police and were able to
control the more irresponsible
members of the movement

such as the SNCC workers and
the local teenagers.

The Selma demonstrations
were different because of both
these turning points. And
While it is too soon to tell the
full extent of Selma's impor-
tance, the voting law now in
Congress must be considered a
partial reflection of its signifi-
cance.

 

WILSON BAKER. selrna-s Public Saieiy Direcior. and selrno
oiiy Police slop one of hsli a doxen ciiernpied marches on
ihe courl house. This pariicular rnareh was led by Reverend

Aberneihy.

 

5&3 phsios by Henry Wilhelm and John Phillip.

 

