SELMA — Sheyann Webb-Christburg was eight years old when Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. attempted to lead hundreds in a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in March 1965 for voting rights for Black Americans.
Speaking at the 60th anniversary commemoration of Bloody Sunday and the Selma-to-Montgomery March on Sunday, Webb-Christburg said she thinks voting rights are in peril.
“Back in the 60s, we fought to gain the right to vote,” she said in an interview. “Today, in 2025 we are still fighting to hold that right to vote through the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. That’s sad.”
A group of teenagers holding signs honoring key figures in the Civil Rights Movement in Selma, Alabama, on March 9, 2025. Tens of thousands gathered to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the 1965 attack on peaceful civil rights demonstrators that helped trigger passage of the Voting Rights Act. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
Webb-Christburg was one of tens of thousands of people who made the trip to Selma Sunday for the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee, which celebrates the events of the march and honors the participants. The event draws state and national leaders, particularly in election years. In 2015, then-President Barack Obama spoke in Selma for the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Kamala Harris, then the vice president of the United States, spoke at last year’s event.
But on Sunday, Webb-Christburg was thinking of President Donald Trump and threats to punish “illegal protests” on college campuses. Young people, she said, need to understand the power of their voices.
“I think that they are the voices of hope, our vessels of change and certainly our instruments of peace and progress,” she said.
Law enforcement officers attacked a group of peaceful civil rights protestors crossing Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965. The images of the beatings and gassing of protestors on the bridge shocked the nation. After legal battles, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights activists led a march from Selma to Montgomery. The events were major catalysts for the Voting Rights Act, signed by President Lyndon Johnson later that year.
Webb-Christburg said the events “changed my life in the most profound way.” She said college students need to bloom where they are planted.
“You’ve got to use your gifts and your talents, because everyone has something to contribute to this world,” she said. “Always believe in yourself and define yourself for yourself. Don’t let nobody else define you.”
Political figures arrive in Selma
From left: U.S. House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries; U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California; civil rights activist Al Sharpton; civil rights leader and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson in wheelchair and at far right, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia march during the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee in Selma, Alabama on March 9, 2025. The annual event commemorates Bloody Sunday, the attack on civil rights protestors on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge that led to the Selma-to-Montgomery march and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. (John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
State and local politicians also attended the festivities, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York; U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California; U.S. Sen. Rafael Warnock, D-Georgia and civil rights activist Al Sharpton. The day’s events end with a mass crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, was one of thousands that crossed the Bridge Sunday. At the post-march rally he urged participants to vote to honor the original marchers. Referring to last year’s presidential election, Figures said that the country “didn’t honor the men and women that came across that bridge a few months ago in November.”
“But the good news is that we can recommit, we can reorganize, we can rededicate ourselves,” he said. “In two years, we can make liars out of all those people who say that we don’t go vote.”
The congressman said in an interview that he was inspired by the mass of people that marched Sunday.
“It is inspiring, it’s motivating, it’s reinvigorating,” he said in an interview. “It’s very inspirational to see thousands of people coming back here to the mecca of the civil rights movement.”
Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Kentucky, speaks at the post-march rally in Selma, Alabama, on March 9, 2025. The Democratic governor highlighted the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in his speech. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, also marched over the bridge and defended diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) — programs under attack from the Trump administration and right-wing activists — at the rally.
“Right now, we’ve got a federal government that will tell you that diversity is a dirty word,” he said. “I want to tell you where I stand. I believe that diversity is a strength and never a weakness.”
Beshear thanked the majority-Black crowd for allowing him to join the march.
“I know we’ve got a lot more marching to go,” he said. “If you’ll have me, I’ll be there every step of the way.”
Rev. Bernard LaFayette, a key organizer in Selma before and duringg the march, and Rev. Jesse Jackson, who participated in the 1965 marches, were both pushed across the bridge in wheelchairs Sunday.
Sheyann Webb-Christburg standing with Alabama State Troopers on March 9, 2025, in Selma, Alabama. Webb-Christburg marched with Martin Luther King Jr in 1965 across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
Webb-Christburg also took time to get a picture with Alabama state troopers.
“When I came across this bridge, I was only eight years old, the youngest little girl on that Sunday,” she told the troopers. “Today when I see you all standing here, we are not facing tear gas. Thank you for your service.”
Webb-Chistburg urged college students and young people to engage in their community.
“The way you define yourself is by participating and engaging in making a difference,” she said.
Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Lindsey Henderson | ExcelinEd – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-18 11:36:00
Harvard University recently announced a remedial algebra course to address some of the mathematical struggles its incoming students are facing.
This isn’t a reflection on the nation’s oldest and most renowned institution of higher learning. Remedial courses aren’t new. Plenty of colleges and universities offer courses geared toward helping students with precalculus and calculus.
The fact that students at a highly competitive school like Harvard may need help getting caught up in a core subject should be a bright red warning light that our K-12 system is falling behind when it comes to math education.
Looking at the most recent scores from the Nation’s Report Card, we know there has been minimal progress for students catching up from COVID learning loss, and most fourth and eighth graders on last year’s exam still performed below pre-pandemic levels, with a widening gap between disadvantaged students and their more resourced peers.
To ensure future generations are prepared for postsecondary success, we need to look for upstream solutions—state-level math policy that we know will help students build the foundation they need.
State leaders can act now on five essential math policies designed to transform math achievement.
First, we know that countries consistently performing above average on international math assessments spend an average of 60 minutes per day on instructional time. In America, Alabama is the only state actively requiring this instruction length, with Maryland recently passing a similar policy that will be implemented in 2026. If every state required 60 minutes of math instruction a day, students would see stronger outcomes.
Second, the adoption of High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) would ensure students have access to grade level content. Surprisingly, this remains a significant challenge across the country, with some research indicating students spend more than 500 hours per school year on assignments not appropriate for their grade level and expectations.
Next, we know that math coaches are an essential investment for all elementary and secondary schools and can be relied upon to lead professional development, facilitate lesson planning, teach model lessons and observe and provide immediate feedback. States like Alabama and Kentucky have implemented strong math coach programs.
Just as we look to NAEP as a national assessment tool, teachers should be implementing regular assessments in their classrooms that provide valuable student progress information and inform future instruction tactics. When assessments are followed by timely interventions to get students back on track, student learning outcomes can dramatically improve.
Finally, states should consider an automatic enrollment policy that ensures students who are mathematically proficient are promoted into higher-level courses in the next school year.
Automatic enrollment policies have proven to lead to a larger number of students successfully taking higher level math courses, including a higher number of low-income and minority students.
These policy essentials are not theoretical; we are seeing them in action in Alabama. Other states, including Indiana, Iowa and Maryland, are following suit.
And that’s a smart move. Alabama’s comprehensive approach to math policy has resulted in remarkable progress in just two years: it remains one of the only states where fourth grade students are back to pre-pandemic levels of math proficiency on the Nation’s Report Card.
By the time our students graduate from high school, they should be proficient in the math skills they need to succeed in higher education, the military or the workforce. We owe it to them to get them to that level in the K-12 system so they are not playing catch-up in subsequent years.
States can help educators and schools achieve that goal by implementing proactive, research-backed policy solutions that ensure all students build a strong foundation in mathematics.
Lindsey Henderson serves as the Math Policy Director at ExcelinEd.
Fifteen Auburn University community members had their visas revoked this week, according to university officials.
Jennifer Wood Adams, executive director of public affairs at Auburn, said in a statement that the visas were revoked by the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Student and Exchange Visitor Program, not the university.
She said the university immediately reached out to those with cancelled visas. The university did not identify the students.
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“Auburn’s Office of International Programs immediately contacted each affected individual to provide assistance and support. Our international students and personnel are valued members of our campus community, and we recognize the significant impact that visa or status revocation will have on them,” the statement said.
The statement also said the university will comply with all laws and cooperate with authorities.
“This is a fluid situation, and the university will monitor it closely and assess its implications,” she said.
According to the Associated Press, at least 1,024 students at 160 colleges, universities and university systems have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated since late March.
Alireza Doroudi, a University of Alabama graduate student from Iran, was detained in March by ICE. According to the Crimson White, UA’s student news outlet, Doroudi was denied bond on Thursday and now faces deportation.
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Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.
SUMMARY: Panoply 2025, set for April 25-27, will feature a diverse lineup of live music, including rock, R&B, smooth jazz, and local acts such as Alana White and The Red Flags. Headliner Billy Allen and The Polly’s will perform on Friday night. New this year are DJ sets between performances, generating excitement among attendees. The event will offer a range of activities, including food and entertainment. Tickets are $15 for a weekend pass, with parking and logistics advised for ease. The festival’s website and Huntsville social media will provide updates on weather and other event details.
Panoply 2025 is a week from today! Patrice Johnson with Arts Huntsville swung by News 19 at 9am to tease this year’s musical guests!
News 19 is North Alabama’s News Leader! We are the CBS affiliate in North Alabama and the Tennessee Valley since November 28, 1963.
