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The 25th annual Stop the Violence march will be held on Monday, Jan. 20, in downtown Selma.

The march begins at noon on the steps of Brown Chapel AME, goes to Songs of Selma Park and finishes with a walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

The Rev. Michael Bowen of the Safe Haven Center, who organizes the event, said they are wanting everyone to come together to raise awareness about gun violence within the city.

“We have to do something to stop this from happening,” Bowen said. “Gun violence affects more than just those involved. It affects everyone in the community. That person who loses their life to violence and the person who committed the crime could be a parent, a sibling, a child, an aunt or uncle or a friend. One act can affect so many lives. This is happening all too often in our community.”

This march, program and walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge are done to honor the legacy of King. Right now, the speakers and visitors who will be attending the walk are still being finalized at this time.

Bowen is encouraging everyone to come out to the event.

“We always have a great crowd come out,” Bowen said. “We just want to do something to help our community heal and to try to bring this issue to the forefront because something needs to happen.”

Bowen also told the city council last year that the Islamic and Jewish communities participated in the event.

For more information, please contact Bowen at 334-505-1723.