By Blake Deshazo

The Selma Times-Journal 

Some leaders of the local faith community are working to bring the city of Selma together with a unity walk in March.

The walk is still in its early stages of planning, but it has been scheduled for Sunday, March 1 at 2 p.m. The walk is based on the theme of “One Selma: Coming Home United in Faith.”

“We wanted to bring together the faith community, which we hope includes all of the community, to come together to work on Selma,” said Juanda Maxwell, who is helping organize the walk.

“It was the faith community that started the change for the right to vote, so this is the faith community coming back home saying we’re not perfect, but we’re working together,” Maxwell said.

Organizers are hoping the unity walk will paint a positive picture of Selma for the world to see.

The unity walk is different than any other march that goes across the famed Edmund Pettus Bridge. Rather than starting on the Selma side of the bridge, participants will walk from the Montgomery side of the bridge to the Selma side.

“We wanted to do a symbolic march because a lot of times we are always walking away from Selma, but what we wanted to do is to come back to Selma,” Maxwell said.

Coming back home to Selma, Maxwell hopes will show that the community is united.

“We have to be a support system. We’re not saying we can solve every problem, but what we can be is a support system,” Maxwell said

Maxwell said every church in the community is invited to take part in the unity walk, and she hopes many will join the churches that have already signed up.

“It is appropriate for us to come together as a symbol of moving forward together as one community,” said the Rev. Dion Culliver, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church.

“I believe that Selma has made a lot of progress in the world, and it is good for the world to see that Selma is trying to progress the city of Selma. I believe that this is a great first step toward that progress of working together in a more intentional way.”

Tabernacle Baptist Church is just one of the many churches that have taken part in the planning of the walk.

“I want the world to know that Selma, like so many cities in the south, had many obstacles to overcome, but we’re defeating those one at a time,” said Dr. Jerry Light, pastor of First Baptist Church.“We are making this a better city, and we want to world to know that we want them to come to our doorstep and be a part of this.”

The next planning meeting will be held Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 11 a.m. at Tabernacle Baptist Church. For more information, email Juanda Maxwell at lmaxhouse@aol.com.