Sam and Amelia Boynton not only got a street renamed in their honor Saturday, they also got the attention they deserved.

More than 100 members of the Selma community attended a ceremony at R.B. Hudson Middle School to mark the special occasion.

More than the renaming of a portion of Lapsley Street, those gathered paid their respects to the work of the Boynton’s.

Amelia, who turned 103-years-old Monday, and Sam, who died in 1963, devoted their lives to the cause of civil rights.

We should all take a lesson from that selfless mentality.

We can all make the world a better place.

Saturday’s event was chock-full of speeches from people who have been inspired by Sam and Amelia.

“They are very deserving of this honor. Amelia has always been an inspiration to me,” said Selma City Councilwoman Bennie Ruth Crenshaw. “What she brought to the table, her courageousness, should send a message to all of us today that you have to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything.”

Crenshaw, who worked for years to honor the Boynton’s with the street renaming, said this honor was well-deserved — and overdue.

Malika Fortier told audience members to remember the hard work and determination the Boynton’s put into the civil rights movement.

“That dream, that vision, is one that we have to continue to work for,” Fortier said. “I heard Miss Boynton say one time, ‘the best way you can honor me is to keep on fighting’, and so I challenge and encourage each of us to do that.”

I have only lived in Selma for a little over a year now, but it has truly been an honor to learn about people like the Boynton’s, who devoted themselves to a greater cause.

I hope that is a lesson that can continue to inspire others, as it has inspired Crenshaw, Fortier, and so many others.

This world is far from perfect, but it’s better than it was before Sam and Amelia went to work.