From Selma to Memphis: Two Cities, One Movement

The struggle for civil rights in America was never confined to one city, one march, or one speech. It was—and still is—a living movement stretching across time and geography. Selma, Alabama and Memphis, Tennessee stand as twin pillars in that legacy.

Selma, 1965 – The March That Shook a Nation

On March 7, 1965, a group of 600 peaceful protesters began a march from Selma to Montgomery to demand voting rights for Black Americans. As they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were met with brutal force from state troopers and local police in what would become known as "Bloody Sunday."

This moment, captured by national media, shocked the conscience of the country. Just weeks later, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a larger, federally protected march to Montgomery. The momentum from Selma directly led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant legislative victories of the Civil Rights Movement.

Memphis, 1968 – The Strike That Echoed Selma’s Spirit

In 1968, Memphis became the next battleground for civil rights when Black sanitation workers went on strike after the tragic deaths of Echol Cole and Robert Walker, crushed by unsafe equipment.

Their protest wasn’t just about wages—it was about dignity. Workers marched daily carrying signs that read "I AM A MAN." They demanded to be treated as human beings. Their cry echoed the same moral urgency as Selma: that Black lives and labor deserved recognition and respect.

Dr. King came to Memphis to support their cause. It was there he delivered his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech—and it was there that he was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

The Connection: Blood, Bridges, and Building Forward

Selma and Memphis are more than two cities in the South—they are sacred sites of sacrifice and resistance. The same moral force that crossed the bridge in Selma stood tall in the streets of Memphis.

Both represent moments when the world had to reckon with the injustice faced by Black Americans—and when the people chose to rise.

“Stones in Selma!” honors that shared struggle. We gather in Selma not just to remember, but to rebuild a movement that bridges the past and future. We come from Memphis, and beyond, to lay new stones for justice, unity, and Black economic empowerment.