By Tyra Jackson

The Selma Times-Journal 

Final plans are being made for Sunday’s Unity Walk.

Juanda Maxwell has been helping to organize the event. She said interest has been pouring in from across Selma, and many people tell her they are looking forward Sunday afternoon.

The walk’s theme is “One Selma: Coming Home United in Faith.”

Maxwell said she hopes the walk will help bring people together by celebrating common ground.

“Wouldn’t it be nice for us to march toward the things we have in common instead of focusing on the one percent of things we don’t have in common,” Maxwell said.

Everyone is invited to participate in the Unity Walk.

The Unity Walk is open for anyone to take part in, although faith will play a large role in the afternoon.

“In 1965, it was all based on the faith community,” Maxwell said. “That’s what galvanized the country. We feel like it will only be the faith community to help galvanize the community to work toward things in thebe the faith community to help galvanize the community to work toward things in support of the community.”

Shuttles will pick up participants from First Baptist Church and Elkdale Baptist Church every 15 minutes, where they will be taken to the Montgomery side of the Edmund Pettus Bridge to begin gathering at 1 p.m. The Unity Walk will follow at 2 p.m.

Maxwell said the walk has taken on a life of its own, part of that being a Unity Quilt that will be carried during the walk.

The Unity Quilt is also having a few stitches added to it before it will be presented at the walk. Over the past few weeks, Unity Quilt coordinator Jamie Alvey said she and others have spent about 50 hours on the construction of the 11-foot quilt.

“That’s a sign of people being really excited about being a part of something different,” Alvey said. “I heard some people say they’re really looking forward to it, and people from all over the community are interested in coming.”