On this day after Labor Day, since I am clearly running a bit late and wanted to put more thought into what I was doing, I wanted to take the time to recognize someone specific who labors to help underserved children in Selma, Alabama.
Yes, THAT Selma.
This past weekend my husband and I took a trip to visit Alabama. We had only been to Huntsville ever, so we thought “we have time, let’s go further.” We decided we wanted to see some historic places, and one of those was Selma.
Selma is an important place of note for the 1960s Civil Rights movement in what’s called the “Black Belt Region” of Alabama. This is mainly remembered for the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march as well as the Bloody Sunday assault.
This weekend we drove over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, named after a former Confederate brigadier general, US Senator, and state-level leader/Grand Dragon of the Alabama KKK. The bridge was named after him to memorialize his history of restraining and imprisoning African Americans in their quest for freedom after the Civil War.
So, why do I mention this horrible man in this post? Because this bridge, this town, the people that participated on the good side of history, need to be remembered for the fruits of their labor, including those who are still acting bravely and heroically today.
We met a man named Columbus Mitchell. Columbus runs a Selma tour that takes visitors on a tour of all the important places to the 1960s Civil Rights movement. What’s important about what he does is that he’s not only educating visitors, but he also takes the money he raises, and he and his wife use that money to take up to 100 children from Selma to Atlanta.
The purpose of this trip for the children isn’t educational really, at least not in the traditional sense. And this puts things into perspective as a mother to a young child. The purpose of this trip for the children Mr. Mitchell assists, is to educate them that they can do and be great things. If you saw Selma, you’d understand. There’s a lack of opportunity in Selma and the surrounding areas for the African American Community. These children get to go to Atlanta (a few hours drive from Selma) and spend the day doing fun kid activities like the aquarium, the Coca-Cola plant, and going to McDonalds.
GOING TO MCDONALDS.
That’s right, McDonalds, the place we look at as something that’s an “easy meal” for a kid who asks politely (or sometimes not) in the car after school. Something we take for granted, these kids get as a treat, to show them what other things exist out there for them. There is a McDonald’s in Selma, however this does not mean that the parents of these children can afford to take them, especially if they live on one side of town and the McDonald’s is on the other side.
This trip for the children Mr. Mitchell helps is in contrast with the trip I plan on taking my own daughter on when she’s a little more able to understand things. She will not get to go to fun filled places; she already does that. She will instead get to go to Selma, where I hope her young mind can realize that there are other’s out there, kids her age, that do not have as privileged of a life as she does, where McDonald’s and the aquarium isn’t a given, but a gift.
Mr. Mitchell engaged us in great conversation while we were with him. We discussed culture, pride, shame, history, education, rebuilding, remembering, death care in the African American community, and most importantly, how to stop the hate.
I cried briefly. I don’t do that often. I’m still touched by the experience and by Mr. Mitchell’s mission.
We donated to his cause what we were able to donate via Venmo, as it’s his best form of payment and we didn’t have much in the Venmo app at the time, but I want to do more for Mr. Mitchell and the children of Selma. I intend to donate more, and I hope those few people who follow me can donate too.
If you feel compelled to read about Mr. Columbus Mitchell, please do so HERE
If you feel compelled to donate to Mr. Mitchell’s cause, please do so via his Venmo here:
His labor of love for the people, especially the children, of Selma, as well as the labors of those who participated in the history making in the 1960s, some people who are still alive today, is what I’m remembering this Labor Day, 2025.
