This 150-year-old dwelling misplaced its roof through the January twister in Selma, Ala.

Kyle Gassiott/Troy Public Radio

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Kyle Gassiott/Troy Public Radio

This 150-year-old dwelling misplaced its roof through the January twister in Selma, Ala.

Kyle Gassiott/Troy Public Radio

SELMA, Ala. — President Biden will journey to Alabama tomorrow for the annual commemoration of “Bloody Sunday,” the notorious day in 1965 when some 600 civil rights marchers headed east from Selma in help of voting rights. The marchers solely made it six blocks to the Edmund Pettus Bridge earlier than they had been attacked by state and native lawmen, driving them again into town.

As they all the time do within the annual tribute, folks shall be making a symbolic crossing.

But issues are completely different in Selma this yr.

On Jan. 12, an EF2 twister carved through the heart of the city. With winds as much as 130 mph, the tornado left behind a violent, ruinous path that destroyed a whole lot of houses.

“It’ll never look the same as it did,” says Steve Criswell, who has lived in Selma for 57 years. He speaks from the porch of a house that is set to be demolished later this month.

“The house we’re at right now was built somewhere between 1846 and 1855,” he says. “So much of our history is going to be lost.”

Homes broken by the twister in Selma

Kyle Gassiott/Troy Public Radio

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Kyle Gassiott/Troy Public Radio

Homes broken by the twister in Selma

Kyle Gassiott/Troy Public Radio

Though the twister left behind a form of injury that can stay with Selma endlessly, Criswell additionally says that the method of scarring might be a possibility.

“People were just coming out the woodwork,” he says concerning the hours following the storm. “It didn’t matter what color you were or what your age was — everybody helped everybody.”

In the weeks for the reason that storm, the Temple Gate Seventh-day Adventist Church has been a middle for restoration efforts. Every Thursday, volunteers present as much as share bread, salad kits, and even pastry bins with storm victims who circle the block of their automobiles.

Nearly one third of Selma’s residents stay below the poverty line, says Thiea Wilson, the pastor at Temple Gate. It’s this inhabitants that was most instantly impacted by the twister.

The church sits proper within the heart of the devastation and Wilson says she’s grateful for this place proper now.

“We were blessed to be here,” she says. “To be a lighthouse in a dark time for this community and provide a safe haven for those who need so much.”

Pastor Thiea Wilson of the Temple Gate Seventh-day Adventist Church sees the twister as a possibility to restore many elements of the neighborhood.

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Pastor Thiea Wilson of the Temple Gate Seventh-day Adventist Church sees the twister as a possibility to restore many elements of the neighborhood.

Kyle Gassiott/Troy Public Radio

Like Criswell, Wilson sees the tragedy as an opportunity to construct again higher, sharing the phrase that Biden uses often. But this implies extra than simply infrastructure.

“People all throughout Selma are trying to be very intentional about tearing down the racial walls, the class wall, the economical walls, that have often separated Selma,” she says. “I want to see the spark of hope.”

This weekend’s commemoration is a vital a part of how the neighborhood will transfer ahead, notably the day’s major occasion: the Bridge Crossing Jubilee.

Former Alabama state Sen. Henry “Hank” Sanders and his spouse, Faya, began the occasion practically 30 years in the past.

Sanders says the Jubilee is a chance to know and admire what residents nonetheless have in Selma and to rebuild a beloved neighborhood. Biden’s presence will solely amplify this affect.

“If the president of the United States thinks it is important to be at the Bridge Crossing Jubilee, then the tens of thousands who come will become twenties of thousands,” he says. “Because they know how important this is.”

Vice President Kamala Harris marches on the Edmund Pettus Bridge after talking in Selma, Ala., on the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” on March 6, 2022.

Brynn Anderson/AP

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Vice President Kamala Harris marches on the Edmund Pettus Bridge after talking in Selma, Ala., on the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” on March 6, 2022.

Brynn Anderson/AP

Sure, issues shall be completely different this yr. But that is not a foul factor, in line with Sanders.

Usually, when folks come to Selma for the weekend, they do not keep for lengthy. They come for the crossing — what Sanders calls a “pilgrimage,” and to have “their spirit renewed with the symbolism and power of the moment.”

But, normally, folks will not spend the night time, and even purchase a sandwich.

This yr nonetheless, visibility is a chance for help.

“Cross the bridge. Be renewed,” Sanders says. “Share your experiences, gather the information, get stronger. But also, be a bridge to Selma.”