Though it has been 40 years since the original mass meetings were held at Tabernacle Baptist Church, the message at last night’s event was still the same.

Local and national leaders spoke to the packed crowd about never giving up the fight against injustice and protecting the right to vote. The mass meeting, dedicated to the memory of S.W. Boynton, was the kick-off for this weekend’s Bridge Crossing Jubilee commemorating the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” After nearly an hour of singing and praising Civil Rights leaders who started the Movement, a local pastor, the

Rev. F.D. Reese, was invited to speak about the marches that took place in Selma during 1965.

“President (Lyndon) Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but it all began across that bridge in Selma,” Reese said.

Reese first spoke about the January 1965 Teacher’s March, describing how he and the other marchers were shoved down the Dallas County Courthouse steps in their attempt to register to vote. “I wanted the teachers to be arrested because teachers were the largest professional group in Dallas County,” Reese said. “We didn’t get arrested, but when we returned from the march we received a hero’s welcome.”

Reese also spoke about the chaos on “Bloody Sunday” and being beaten on his head and shoulders as he tried to run away from the bridge.

“Some of the same state troopers that beat us on the bridge had to protect us as we marched from Selma to Montgomery later on,” Reese said.

He added that during the long march to the state capitol, he carried the folder that contained Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech.

“I’m am a witness to the divine protection of God,” Reese said. “Now, 40 years later, I am again standing on this pulpit (at Tabernacle).”

After Reese gave his emotional details of the Selma Voting Rights Movement, Southern Christian Leadership co-founder the Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery livened things up with a few funny comments.

Lowery began his speech by calling Reese a “kid” and said he was much older during the Selma to Montgomery march.

“After 40 years, it does to mean the end. It is the beginning of a renaissance,” Lowery said. “The issue now isn’t getting to sit behind the counter. It is being able to stand behind the cash register.”

Lowery said that the fight for voting rights continues to this day.

“When we march on Sunday, we must not march just to Montgomery. We must keep marching to fight the demons who want to turn back the clock,” Lowery said.