Civil rights icon Dr. Frederick D. Reese has died. Reese was 88 years old.

His family confirmed his passing Thursday afternoon in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reese was born and raised in Selma and lived in the Queen City for nearly his entire life, where he helped change the course of history in 1965 during the voting rights movement.

Reese was a key leader in the movement and a member of the Courageous Eight, who invited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Selma to join the fight for equal voting rights for all.

The work of Reese and others led to the Selma to Montgomery marches and the eventual passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Reese was an educator in Dallas County for more than 50 years and served as pastor of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church for half a century.

Check back later for an in-depth story on Reese’s passing.