Event: Selma to Montgomery March Anniversary
Time: March 6-10, 2014
Event Type: Civil Rights Commemorative Event
Location: Selma to Montgomery Trail Interpretive Center,7002 U.S. Hwy. 80 W. at Mile Marker 106
Cost: No entrance fee
Event Website: http://www.nps.gov/semo
Sponsor: Center for the Study of the Black Belt
Contact: For more information, contact 334-877-1984.
Info: Lowndes County Interpretive Center officially opened its doors to the public August 25, 2006. The interpretive center is the first of three proposed along the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. This National Park Service site is dedicated to those who peacefully marched 54 miles from Selma to the state capitol of Montgomery in order to gain the right to vote. This significant contribution to the trail serves as a reservoir of information about the unfortunate, yet significant, events that occurred in Lowndes County during the march. The museum exhibits interpret various events, including the confrontation of seminarian Jonathan Daniels; the slaying of Viola Liuzzo, a white woman who assisted the marchers by transporting them to Selma; and the establishment of Tent City, made up of temporary dwellings filled with cots, heaters, food and water that benefited families dislodged by white landowners in Lowndes County. The $10 million structure was made possible through collaborative efforts between the National Park Service, the Federal Highway Administration and the Alabama Department of Transportation. In addition, advisory councils, community leaders and representatives were instrumental in the development of the interpretive center.