2021 Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Goes Virtual

The 56th Anniversary Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee is going completely virtual for the first time to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Drew Glover, principal coordinator for the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee, spoke with the Tuscaloosa Thread about the event, which kicks off Friday will include guest speakers, live performances and more.

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This year's event has been reconstructed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Jubilee board members assured participants that the 2021 celebration will not disappoint as the annual event will be going global for the first time ever.

Participants can register for free online and join the event through the provided software, called Hopin. Attendees also have the option to livestream the three-day celebration, which will be broadcasted on the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee social media accounts.

According to Glover, the decision to go virtual was made in order to protect potential attendees of the Jubilee and the citizens of Selma. Glover said he is excited for this year's historic global event because they are able to reach a broader audience.

"It is exciting in many ways, not just because of the transition into a digital format, but it also increased an opportunity to interact, engage and expose people to the history of Selma, Alabama and the voting rights movement," Glover said.

"Ideally, with this increased reach we will not only be able to educate people on the history of Selma but also inspire them to learn more about what happened [in regards to the "Bloody Sunday" attacks]," Glover added.

Selma's Bridge Crossing Jubilee is known as the largest annual civil rights commemoration event in the country. The city of Selma is home to the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge, which is where the attacks of "Bloody Sunday" took place.

This will also be the first bridge crossing jubilee since the death of Rep. John Lewis in July of 2020. Glover said there are plans to honor the late civil rights leader and congressman during the celebration. There will also be honorable mentions of Joseph Lowery, C.T. Vivian, and Bruce Boynton, who also died in 2020.

The three-day-long celebration will end Sunday, March 7th with a virtual bridge crossing, which will be a "well-put-together" produced piece highlighting the connections of the past to the present of Selma.

For more information about the 56th Anniversary Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee and how to register click here.