Each year, the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, a division of the Arkansas Department of Education, selects individuals from all four congressional districts to participate with thousands from across the country in the"Bloody Sunday" Reenactment and Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee.
Joining the commission this year for the 58th annual event in Selma, Ala., last week were students from central and southeast Arkansas along with the youngest mayor in the United States, Mayor Jaylen Smith, who won the 2022 mayoral election for Earle, Ark., at the age of 18 by a vote of 235-183.
The now 19-year-old mayor said he was looking forward to his first time commemorating "Bloody Sunday," which occurred March 7, 1965, when a group of about 525 African American demonstrators gathered at Browns Chapel to demand the right to vote.
They planned to walk 54 miles to Montgomery, Ala., but when they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge about 150 white state troopers, sheriff's deputies and others ordered them to stop. They then attacked the protesters with tear gas and clubs.
Two weeks later, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and 3,200 civil- rights protesters marched the 49 miles from Selma to the state capital, Montgomery--an event that prompted Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act.
"Every year on the first weekend in March, the Bridge Crossing Jubilee commemorates both the bloody confrontation at the Pettus Bridge and the March from Selma to Montgomery that followed," said Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission Executive Director DuShun Scarbrough. "We are a nonpartisan agency. It is important to reignite our passion for voting and voter education and connect the youth attendees with the history and the martyrs who lost their lives for the importance of voting."
Thirteen-year-old twins Sebrayla Farris and J'Lasia Farris traveled with the commission and their mother Emily Farris. Emily said she felt it was important for her daughters to know their history and the truths about their ancestors.
"We're biracial and unfortunately our history is ugly on both sides," said Emily, who along with her children are mixed race, part Black and part white. "My girls are part of a generation that is changing the narrative so history doesn't repeat itself."
As hundreds gathered in preparation for the March to begin, they were greeted by President Joe Biden, who gave a speech to inspire and give hope.
"In many of your faith traditions, Sunday is the Sabbath, a day of rest. But on that Sunday morning, on March 7th, 1965, Amelia Boynton Robinson and 600 of her fellow children of God chose different pews," said Biden. "On this bridge of her beloved Selma, they were called to the altar of democracy, unsure of their fate but certain that the cause was righteous."
Quoting Robinson, Biden said: "You can never know where you're going unless you know where you've been," a statement that was met with cheers and applause from the crowd of anxious attendees who were ready to march.
"And, my fellow Americans, on this Sunday of our time, we know where we've been and we know, more importantly, where we have to go: forward together," said Biden. "So let's pray, but let's not rest.
"Let's keep marching. Let's keep the faith. But most of all, let's remember who we are. We're the United States of America, and there's nothing -- nothing beyond our capacity when we act together. So, let's go and finish the job."
Biden along with several dignitaries and delegates, such as Mayor Smith from Earle, State Rep. Vivian Flowers of Pine Bluff, Martin Luther King III, State Rep. Terri Sewell and civil-rights activists the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton to name a few, led the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge stopping at the point where the late John Lewis and others were attacked in 1958.
The crowd of hundreds of all races and ages followed shortly thereafter--a somber moment for many as they sang Negro spirituals like "We shall overcome" and "Marching on to Freedom Land." Hand-in-hand and arm-and-arm, attendees marched in unity.
"Imagine, fifty-eight years ago, Dr. King was marching for voting rights, and today we are traveling with an 18-year-old who has been elected. There has been a lot of progress," said Scarbrough. "The foundation for Mayor Jaylen Smith was established in Selma. This is also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young people who are studying history to see the sites where history was made."
The Farris twins said it was a lot to take in and heartbreaking to learn of the cruel and inhumane acts during that time.
"There was a lot of brutality in the past and walking on that bridge made me feel bad about what happened to those people who marched the bridge," said Sebrayla Farris.
"Things have changed since then because if the laws didn't change, me and my sister would not be here today," added J'Lasia Farris. "We are walking history and we are lucky to be in this world. We have a good life and back in the day we wouldn't because we are biracial. Our mom wouldn't have either."
For Mayor Smith, not only was he breaking down barriers for Black History but also for American History. With many firsts for Smith, commemorating Selma in the march reenactment was also his first.
"I was honored to join the official delegation from the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission while traveling to Selma, Ala., to witness the commemoration of the 58th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday," said Smith. "I can only imagine what those great leaders of that time had to deal with and the price that they had to pay on that fateful day."
Smith also said he was honored to meet and hear the remarks from Biden. They shared a brief conversation before walking the bridge as Biden talked about the promise that America has yet to keep in making sure that everyone has a chance at the American dream.
"I will never forget this experience, meeting President Biden, and some of the amazing trailblazers that walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge with individuals like the late great Congressman John Lewis," said Smith. "Seeing and meeting them, and meeting other young people in my generation, particularly some of those that traveled with us, gives me hope that our best days are ahead of us."
Scarbrough said the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission has partnerships with the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change and other organizations that promote Dr. King and his involvement in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and their goal is to meet up with these organizations for more educational activities to engage their youth and delegates.
"We want to embrace and teach the history so it doesn't repeat itself," he said. "Some of the youth that we have are 13 and younger. They were never taught this history but to be able to carry the torch and fulfill the dreams of the individuals that they'll be teaching one day, we want to be able to pass the torch to them to continue the legacy."
President Joe Biden gives a speech to hundreds of attendees at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. (Pine Bluff Commercial/Eplunus Colvin)