Jubilee time is a coming. Voting Rights Celebrations are a coming. People get ready. Joyful but meaningful times are a coming.

The National Voting Rights Celebration starts the third Sunday in February, 2011 which will have passed by the time you read this. Everybody knows about the Bridge Crossing Jubilee, but few acknowledge the celebration. I want you to know and understand that the celebration is much broader than the Jubilee.

The Jimmy Lee Jackson Memorial Program held in Perry County on the third Sunday in February kicks off the National voting Rights Celebration. It continues until the Second Friday in March, covering several weeks and lots of events.

Jimmy Lee Jackson’s death was a violent catalyst for the Voting Rights Movement. People were so incensed about the cold blooded murder of Jimmy Lee they had to do something. They decided to march from Selma to the State Capitol.

All programs that relate to Civil Rights/Voting Rights struggle in Birmingham, Montgomery, various Black Belt counties and in other places during this several week period make up the National Voting Rights Celebration. But few acknowledge this celebration. Several hundred participate in the Jimmy Lee Jackson Memorial Program, but tens of thousands participate in the Bridge Crossing Jubilee. People from across America, Europe, the Caribbean, Canada and other places flock to Selma for the Jubilee. It’s something to behold.

The Jubilee encompasses over 40 events that speak in various ways to the great victory achieved in the Voting Rights Struggle. All but seven of these events are free and there is something for everyone. I help with the following: the Sunday Unity Breakfast which will feature Alabama Governor Dr. Robert Bentley and Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina. There is so much to celebrate even with the recent political setbacks. I know I stand on the shoulders of those who fought so valiantly for the right to vote. Everyone of us, regardless of race, class, gender, political affiliation, etc. can find something good that is grounded in the Voting Rights Struggle. The Bridge Crossing Jubilee/National Voting Rights Celebration not only reminds us of past struggles but challenges us to be the best possible servants.