The Voting Rights Movement Education Project (VRMEP) is a project initiated by the Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth, and Reconciliation, and Alabama 501c3 nonprofit organization, in partnership with the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute with funding from the National Parks Service and their African American Civil Rights history grant program.

Designed to provide an inside look at the experience of students during the Selma, AL Voting Rights Movement, the VRMEP features first hand accounts of high school students who grew up in Selma and who were involved in the mass meetings, training, and actions between 1963 and 1965. Most participated in, or have recollections of Bloody Sunday and share their experiences as children, the reality that experienced growing up in the segregated South, and the what inspired them to put their life and safety on the line for the right to vote, an act they weren’t even old enough to participate in.

We have included a brief history of the Voting Rights Movement in Alabama for context, but also highly recommend including a precursor in any curriculum or study group that provides a deeper dive into the full history to allow as much context as possible when viewing the oral history interviews. By using the links and QR codes in this book you will be able to access both the full-length interviews that run approximately 40 minutes each, as well as the shortened versions that can be used in classrooms or for short educational viewing opportunities at events and gatherings.

We hope that this project inspires you and those around you to understand not only the importance of history but also underscores the responsibility for each individual to take part in fighting for the betterment of the whole. We have endeavored to make the materials as accessible as possible and encourage you to take what you may learn from the content and share it with the people and organizations in your life and community.

Thank you for your interest in this critical history and we hope you decide to share your experience with us in the form of a phone call, email, or video meeting.