Though we are surrounded by many uncertainties right now, we at Alabama Chanin will continue, as best we can, to share stories and have conversations that are uplifting and positive. Today’s post reminds us about enacting change through acts of courage.
“I know you are asking today, ‘How long will it take?’ Somebody’s asking, ‘How long will prejudice blind the visions of men?’ I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because truth crushed to earth will rise again.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
On March 21, 1965, approximately 3,200 people began the 54-mile march from Selma, Alabama, to the state’s capital in Montgomery demanding that African American’s be given the unencumbered right to vote. Despite the violence inflicted upon them in the weeks and months before, by the time the marchers reached Montgomery their numbers had grown to 25,000. It was in Montgomery that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “How Long, Not Long” speech and in August of the same year then-president Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. Yesterday marked the 55th anniversary of that courageous and harrowing journey.
“Selma to Montgomery March ” from Stanford’s Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute
An audio recording and transcript of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech in Montgomery, Alabama
“Timeline: The Selma – to – Montgomery Marches”
“These Rare Photos of the Selma March Place You in the Thick of History”
MLK Day, Selma, + Songs of Freedom
“The Selma March, On the Trail to Montgomery,” published in April 1965, in The New Yorker ***Please note that there is some ugly language in this article, but this is used in a historical context. At Alabama Chanin, it is our goal to shine an unflinching light on our past while creating new narratives for an inclusive future.***
Songs of the Civil Rights Movement: A Playlist
“‘A Proud Walk’: 3 Voices on the March from Selma to Montgomery” from NPR
In Alabama: The Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery
@ Alabama Chanin
We are taking extra precautions amid the Coronavirus outbreak to ensure the safety, health, and wellbeing of our team and guests. All scheduled events for the months of March and April are currently postponed until further notice. The Project Threadways Symposium has been rescheduled for November 19th – 21st, 2020. (Please stay tuned for more about each of our other events.)
Additionally, The Factory store is closed to the public but open by appointment Monday – Friday. Factory tours are also postponed until further notice.
If you’ve booked an event with us and have questions or would like to make an appointment, please reach out to Catherine at 256-760-1090 ext. 114 or events@alabamachanin.com.
If you’d like to shop with us virtually, talk with Carlisle at 256-760-1090 ext. 105 or email sales@alabamachanin.com.
Bonnie is here to answer all your questions about The School of Making at 256-760-1090 ext. 113 or workshops@alabamachanin.com.
Lead image by Stanley Wolfson, New York World Telegram & Sun, March 15, 1965. Available from the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3c35695.