Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT Selma) to host its first Beyond the Bridge Freedom Fest on August 7th

Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT Selma) is hosting its first Beyond the Bridge Freedom Fest on August 7th from 10a.m. until 3p.m..

In an effort to promote education, community healing, and cultural expression, the Selma Center for Nonviolence and Black Belt Community Foundation formed TRHT Selma. The organization organized the Beyond the Bridge Freedom Fest 2021 to celebrate the signing of the Voting Rights Act Of 1965.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, was signed into law August 6, 1965 to prevent legal barriers at state and local levels that formally prevented African Americans from exercising their 15th Amendment right to vote. The signing of the Voting Rights Act came after the historic march from Selma to Montgomery in March of 1965 in protest of unfair voting practices towards African Americans.   

Lydia Chatmon, event organizer and co-director of TRHT Selma, said educating people about voting rights is just as important today as it was in 1965.

“We want folks all across the Black Belt to come out and learn more about the Voting Rights Act, the voting rights that are currently being threatened, as well as the importance of education in general,” she said.

Chatmon said now is the time for us to make sure the assault on voting rights do not happen again.

“If we don’t learn our history we’re doomed to repeat it,” she said. “We don’t want to have to sacrifice anymore lives in order to maintain the voting rights that we do have.”

Educating the youth and making sure they are an informed body is important to Chatmon.

“It’s up to my generation to make sure that our kids are being educated because again, if we don’t teach the history we are doomed to repeat it.”

Chatmon said it is her hope to make this an annual event thus celebrating the entire voting rights movement in Selma.

“With the Bridge Crossing Jubilee being in March every year and we host this event in August every year people are able to honor and celebrate both ends of the struggle,” she said.

The event will feature various vendors and medical services. Non profit vendors may set up for no additional cost, but retail vendors will have to pay a $50.00 vendor fee to cover the cost of the festival sales permit issued by the City of Selma.

Not only will there be vendors there will also be three panel discussions on Economic Development Across the Black Belt, Our Health is Our Wealth, and Arts and Recreation in Education.

 As a nod to the rich history of housing black owned businesses in the past, the festival will take place on Washington Street and Alabama Avenue.

For more information email LChatmon@SelmaCntr.org. To register as a vendor for the event click this link https://form.jotform.com/211783715764160.