[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6111310,"mediaKeyId","2751786-00f2577d29f4c2d326fa1eacc3e8c383","parentId",2751786,"title","Speakers link art, celebrity and movement-building at Montgomery commemoration","audioSeconds",34,"startMs",9658000,"endMs",9692000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2751786-00f2577d29f4c2d326fa1eacc3e8c383&start=9658&end=9692","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2751786-00f2577d29f4c2d326fa1eacc3e8c383/thumbnail_9658000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6111310/Montgomery-City/Montgomery-County/Alabama/Speakers-link-art-celebrity-and-movement-building-at-Montgomery-commemoration","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6111310-afa05525269275ea67f0e4963650dcdd/orig.mp4?Expires=1773957556&Signature=noDPeYYnLAP6nC7uXy9mEigzXxHEQuVA6js~0dfxKRg49wjhABlDRxPofOzHqbs8Af-KmAHhZ9mOsku4xrANE-CXufmUDxKLhZPuVKA40kL7w9sSqW2ShJcXfVW1wSYBZkzkjmf6tZywPAN3DboZyoSW1CC8SKAHr5h~vlj2Pm1SGo44ySb8nYtHkrE1QJRUyKY3-OrHF9mklX2Vea0VCJAFgz7diiQ4vQOKBECovYeZgRKIiakUVtvHGxjl5zZTPTMK6CJNXAFSn9yorjgjyM0MiBUumNpr3xBD7aG1dNqd-kWREE4XlCOqmW1khUSLfItrWV5sQBXG6lCdY8DeDg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Montgomery City, AL","date","2025-03-24T16:14:53.413Z","article","At the Montgomery City program marking the 60th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march, multiple speakers argued that art and celebrities have historically sustained civil-rights movements and should continue to do so.

Gina Belafonte, addressing the crowd, described the \"Stars for Freedom\" concert the night before the successful march and said her father, Harry Belafonte, used celebrity to provide strategy, funds and protection for activists. \"Celebrity is not just a status. It is a tool, a weapon against indifference, a bridge between those with power and those without,\" she said, urging artists and cultural leaders to move beyond statements to concrete organizing and investment.

Paul Root Wolpe (speaker), reflecting on interfaith solidarity and the moral work of nonviolence, recalled clergy and religious leaders who joined the clergy contingent in 1965 and emphasized the ethical dimensions of pursuing justice repeatedly in each generation.

Speakers asked artists and audiences to translate visibility into donations, bail funds, organizational support and long-term strategy rather than one-off appearances. They argued that cultural work \"fuels\" movements by sustaining morale and by connecting broader publics to campaigns that demand policy change.

No municipal programs or funding commitments tied to the arts were proposed during the program; remarks were appeals and historical context rather than formal policy actions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","This Side of the Bridge 60th Anniversary","oneSentenceSummary","Speakers at the Selma to Montgomery anniversary program highlighted the role of artists and celebrities in sustaining movements, urging creators to convert visibility into financial and organizing support for social justice.","taxTitle","Montgomery City, Montgomery County, Alabama","taxId",3930,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6111314,"Montgomery youth launches petition to redesign city flag; city council planning competition, he says",189,11545000,11734000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2751786-00f2577d29f4c2d326fa1eacc3e8c383&start=11545&end=11734","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2751786-00f2577d29f4c2d326fa1eacc3e8c383/thumbnail_11545000.jpg","/articles/6111314/Montgomery-City/Montgomery-County/Alabama/Montgomery-youth-launches-petition-to-redesign-city-flag-city-council-planning-competition-he-says","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6111314-a604ca92d5ef3655587ecaa05a88e69d/orig.mp4?Expires=1773957556&Signature=QR37FGP-ohS8fiI2Hj9BQxFoZ4W5XOB0h-0w80Hd990ZwQE1rfsUEdy0WOnnJFaV-jzY6aZNACa7uHaOyKG5vBVHerZPJQtcvR2~SjhW7fXG4swdGkrkCQg-luxpUQhn3TT-kXHjc5T1mz7OazowYZMh9acXk3cMkdsJBHUborFiIofNFeyWrwd12Et78fLE8ar~GDIqmQWinthgt-k44uuvG1hLRbMp1N~Rs~E6oirce5BP2Hc1JPxunSZrUhsGVG8nyK1-EhSxSjUFNq30ZEGtuXtSoCahEy1xGfhLBvCub8IuKiE3RnlRjr9BHD9AZLFQZwfcAxJXo8P-fGJ7eQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During the commemoration program at Court Square, Jeremiah Treece introduced himself as a Montgomery native and said he launched a petition to redesign the city flag to better reflect community values.

\"I felt the best way to make a difference was to advocate for a new flag,\" Treece said, identifying his petition as titled \"change the flag, grow from history\" and stating it had \"over 2,490 signatures.\" He told the audience the petition has drawn the attention of Mayor Steven L. Reed and the Montgomery City Council and that \"they are now working with me to develop a competition to redesign the city's flag.\"

Treece described the effort as part of a broader push to \"grow from history\" rather than erase it: he said symbolic change must be paired with policy and community action. He also called on young people at the event to use social media to amplify the campaign and suggested the hashtag \"this side of the bridge.\"

The program did not include a formal council action or vote on the flag; Treece said the council is working with him but did not specify timelines, selection criteria or budget for any competition. No municipal ordinance or formal process was announced during the event.","Jeremiah Treece told the 60th-anniversary crowd he started a petition to redesign Montgomery’s city flag; he said the city council is working with him to develop a design competition after the petition gained signatures.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6111319,"Speakers at Montgomery 60th-anniversary program urge renewed voting action as turnout lags",4103,8066000,12169000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2751786-00f2577d29f4c2d326fa1eacc3e8c383&start=8066&end=12169","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2751786-00f2577d29f4c2d326fa1eacc3e8c383/thumbnail_8066000.jpg","/articles/6111319/Montgomery-City/Montgomery-County/Alabama/Speakers-at-Montgomery-60th-anniversary-program-urge-renewed-voting-action-as-turnout-lags","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6111319-9cef3f3759fb59bfaa215c160744809e/orig.mp4?Expires=1773957556&Signature=FPWFc6vf~IAdUPKkFCqQxrac92YF-zGh5t26NUF-xsHWdfOfSUE4FXF3Ca~S~laZAzI92og0RpWUee30zdHX8ml2TwmhZwswuzvtbuLCy4RiTq8KEm6hvE82WIC6ximRgHG7WLH-lJWn2mUmEYwv56DzW8G7TDb-DkfoacPqmKTh-4K6Y2WMAp6zRexCNuHUics3x-JiMP6D6lyBm7k5Muc7q0XylBzhhdzeTrQdx6NFXeQ813zou2ATz4-S4ITnhc24f-omad4s2w5cP46E5yaJ4a5vhRyzB3tae8hqirZf1eGz4d~mvuW0k6~xXUcX6-bKU3Q0VjZUXon-8ACSSA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a public commemoration on Dexter Avenue in Montgomery City, speakers at the 60th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march urged renewed voter engagement and resource mobilization to defend voting rights and other programs they said are under threat.

Mayor Steven L. Reed opened the program by linking the annual remembrance to current turnout numbers and civic responsibility, saying, \"As pastor Jamal Harrison Bridal shared with us just yesterday, 9,000,000 black voters stayed at home in the November election, more than enough to make up the difference of where we are right now.\" He encouraged those present to treat commemoration as a prompt to act.

The keynote speaker, Martin Luther King III (speaker), framed the anniversary as a reminder that each generation must protect civil rights. \"a vote less people is a powerless people,\" King said, urging sustained participation and civil engagement. King also warned attendees of policy changes he said could harm programs such as Medicaid and the Department of Education, linking turnout to broader policy outcomes.

Jeton Bosby Gilchrist, identified in the program as executive director of the ACLU of Alabama, recalled the legal and organizing work that enabled the 1965 campaign and said the modern fight requires the same mix of litigation, organizing and legislative advocacy. He framed the present moment as a call to maintain civic institutions and legal protections.

DeMarq Liggins, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, told the crowd that commemoration must convert to resources and sustained organizing. \"Reaction is fine, rage is fine, But resource is better,\" he said, urging attendees to donate time and money to civil-rights organizations and to vote.

Speakers stressed specific actions rather than legal prescriptions: they urged higher turnout in local and national elections, financial support for civil-rights groups, and strategic organizing. Several speakers pointed to civic education for young people and stepped-up outreach to historically underrepresented voters.

The program included reflections on the 1965 campaign’s legal and practical legacy (including the Voting Rights Act of 1965) and repeated calls to convert remembrance into tangible civic participation. Organizers and speakers did not propose or vote on any new municipal measures during the program.

The event closed with a reminder that preservation of voting access and related programs depends on ongoing public engagement, not only commemoration.","At Montgomery City’s commemorative program marking the Selma to Montgomery march, speakers including Mayor Steven L. Reed and Martin Luther King III warned of low Black turnout and urged votes, donations and organization to protect rights gained in 1965.","actionData","errors"]

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Speakers link art, celebrity and movement-building at Montgomery commemoration

Montgomery youth launches petition to redesign city flag; city council planning competition, he says

Speakers at Montgomery 60th-anniversary program urge renewed voting action as turnout lags