In 1993, the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute had the first Bridge Crossing Jubilee in conjunction with 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement, Wallace Community College, the City of Selma, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
This annual event is held the first full weekend of every March to commemorate “Bloody Sunday”, and celebrate the Voting Rights Movement, the March from Selma-to-Montgomery, and the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Jubilee includes over 40 events including a street festival of music and vendors, a mass meeting and mock trial, an Intergenerational Hip Hop Summit, a Children’s Sojourn, Invisible Giants Conference, Freedom Flame Awards Banquet, the Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King Unity Breakfast and many other informative and fun events.
Since its beginning in 1993, the notoriety of the Jubilee has spread across the country and abroad. As a result, tens of thousands of people from across the Country and the World visit Selma the first week in March each year for the opportunity to participate in the Jubilee. They come to hear the personal stories of people who participated in the movement, celebrate and commemorate the Voting Rights Struggle and talk with famous Americans who attend, such as, Presidents William Clinton and Barak Obama, Sectary of State Hillary Clinton, Congressman John Lewis, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Mrs. Amelia Boynton, Joseph Lowery, Winnie Mandela and many others.Because the Jubilee continues to grow, it was decided in 2010 to form an independent non-profit to organize and host the Jubilee along with its historical sponsors. The Bridge Crossing Jubilee was incorporated as a non-profit 501C3.
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