Della Maynor tells her story of the night Jimmie Lee Jackson was murdered Sometimes history comes unbidden to your doorstep. Such was the case on February 17, 1965, when it came calling to Marion, Alabama, the county seat of Perry County. As we have found throughout our journey, a church (Zion United Methodist) located across the street from the County Courthouse served as the organizing center for voter rights. During a meeting that night, hundreds of local citizens were rounded up and “packed together like sardines” in the county jail, we were told by James Oakes, one of the participants. “We were treated like criminals for wanting the right to have a voice in our government.” Added the Rev. Richard Bryant, “My parents [who were among those jailed] were courageous to believe that there could be change.”
Delia Maynor, a high-school student in 1965 who also addressed us, was among those detained and moved to the state penitentiary in Selma. But she, along with the others, reminded us that their sacrifice was nothing compared to what happened to 26-year old Jimmy Lee Jackson. During the melee on the town square, he ran to Mack’s Café to check on his mother and grandfather. In his attempts to protect them, he was shot by a trooper and died eight days later. The death of this innocent local man galvanized the community and the SCLC, leading them to hatch a bold idea: a 50-mile march from nearby Selma to the state capital to demand their right to vote.
Today, one of the most riveting and compelling video recordings from the Civil Rights Movement is when the organizers’ attempt to make this march was violently rebuffed by armed local and state authorities after they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Marion--known as the “Birthplace of the 50 Mile March from Selma to Montgomery”-- remains a community of resilient people, both humbled and proud of the role they played in this important milestone in the Movement. We are most grateful to the gracious members of Zion United Methodist for helping enlighten us.
-- by Anne-Marie McCartan
More about Marion's role in the Voting Rights Movement
Delia Maynor, a high-school student in 1965 who also addressed us, was among those detained and moved to the state penitentiary in Selma. But she, along with the others, reminded us that their sacrifice was nothing compared to what happened to 26-year old Jimmy Lee Jackson. During the melee on the town square, he ran to Mack’s Café to check on his mother and grandfather. In his attempts to protect them, he was shot by a trooper and died eight days later. The death of this innocent local man galvanized the community and the SCLC, leading them to hatch a bold idea: a 50-mile march from nearby Selma to the state capital to demand their right to vote.
Today, one of the most riveting and compelling video recordings from the Civil Rights Movement is when the organizers’ attempt to make this march was violently rebuffed by armed local and state authorities after they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Marion--known as the “Birthplace of the 50 Mile March from Selma to Montgomery”-- remains a community of resilient people, both humbled and proud of the role they played in this important milestone in the Movement. We are most grateful to the gracious members of Zion United Methodist for helping enlighten us.
-- by Anne-Marie McCartan
More about Marion's role in the Voting Rights Movement
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