Selma in Dallas County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Sanctuary to Stage
— Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail —
Photographed By Mark Hilton, January 6, 2018
1. Sanctuary to Stage Marker
The shooting of Jimmie Lee Jackson in nearby Marion, Alabama, transformed Brown Chapel from a sanctuary into a staging area for the Selma march, In a passionate sermon SCLC worker James Bevel suggested making a pilgrimage to the State Capitol to honor Lee. They would take their grief and grievances to Governor Wallace's doorstep. Bevel's idea of a march to Montgomery took hold. In a matter of days Brown Chapel became the headquarters for the event, with civil rights workers collecting sleeping bags, tents, and raingear.
On March 7, 1965, SCLC leader Hosea Williams and SNCC chairman John Lewis left Brown Chapel and led marchers over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The violence of Bloody Sunday sent them streaming back to the Chapel, but it also swelled the ranks. Citizens from throughout the United States arrived in Selma to wait a Brown Chapel for another chance to march—which came two days later.
I'm going to Montgomery to see Wallace, and I'm gonna walk if I want to.
James Bevel, February 26, 1965
After Jimmie Lee Jackson's death, James Bevel took to the pulpit with a defiant voice, announcing his plans to march to Montgomery.
Erected 2014 by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed
this page online
Location. 32° 24.738′ N, 87° 0.989′ W. Marker is in Selma, Alabama, in Dallas County. Marker is on Martin Luther King Jr. Street, 0.1 miles north of St. Johns Street, on the left when traveling north. Located across the street from the Brown Chapel AME Church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 410 Martin Luther King Jr Street, Selma AL 36703, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church (here, next to this marker); I Had A Dream (a few steps from this marker); George Washington Carver Homes Projects (within shouting distance of this marker); Lewis Scott (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); George Washington Carver Neighborhood (about 600 feet away); First Baptist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Turning Point (approx. 0.2 miles away); A Grassroots Movement (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Selma.
Also see . . . Alabama: Brown Chapel AME Church, Selma. National Park Service Historic Places website entry (Submitted on January 6, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Photographed By Mark Hilton, January 6, 2018
2. View from Sanctuary to Stage Marker towards the Brown Chapel AME Church.
Additional keywords. Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
Photographed By Mark Hilton, January 6, 2018
3. The Brown Chapel AME Church.
Public domain, March 1, 1965
4. James Bevel's plan for a march from Selma to Montgomery resulted in "Bloody Sunday"
Photographed By Mark Hilton, January 6, 2018
5. Part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Street Historic Walking Tour.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 6, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 510 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 6, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 5. submitted on January 7, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
