Commemorating the 61st Anniversary of Bloody Sunday/Pettus Bridge March
Giving honor to God, and with respect to my Worshipful Master Taj Reid of Monarch Lodge #73, I share reflections from a meaningful journey to Selma, Alabama in remembrance of the 61st Anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
Before the march, I extend sincere gratitude to the brothers of Abraham Lodge #267 in Montgomery, Alabama, under the leadership of Worshipful Master Ferry Nye, for their warm Masonic hospitality and brotherly care during my visit.
Our journey began with a visit to the Legacy Museum in Montgomery. The experience presents a powerful historical account of the struggles endured by African Americans from enslavement through the Jim Crow era. One of the most sobering displays includes jars filled with soil collected from sites where lynchings occurred across the United States. Each jar represents a life taken and serves as a stark reminder of the painful history that shaped the ongoing fight for justice and equality.
Toward the end of the museum experience stands the Reflection Room, where portraits of influential figures in the struggle for freedom line towering walls. Among them are Mary McLeod Bethune, Nat Turner, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and many others whose sacrifices paved the way for progress. Seeing the portrait of Prince Hall, founder of our Masonic lineage, served as a powerful reminder that the work of leadership, service, and justice continues through us today.
On Sunday morning, thousands of Prince Hall Masons and Eastern Stars gathered in Selma to commemorate Bloody Sunday and honor those who courageously marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965, facing violence and oppression in pursuit of voting rights and equality.
As we assembled, the spirit of unity was unmistakable. Grand Masters, brothers, and sisters from across the country stood together in remembrance and solidarity. Psalm 133 came to mind as we witnessed the beauty of brethren and sisters dwelling together in unity.
As the march began, voices lifted in song. Spirituals such as “Every Praise,” “We Shall Overcome,” and “Walk With Me, Lord” echoed across the crowd, creating a moment of reflection and reverence. The bridge itself felt like sacred ground, a place where history, sacrifice, and hope intersect.
Crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge brought deep emotion and sorrow for the suffering endured by our ancestors and gratitude for the courage that made progress possible.
Their sacrifice reminds us that the responsibility to pursue justice, unity, and service now rests with our generation.
The lessons of Selma remain relevant today. The call to leadership, community engagement, and collective responsibility continues.
Brothers, how do we meet?
Brothers, how do we part?
So mote it be.
PM Larry Coleman
Monarch Lodge #73
