Reese’s life is detailed in the autobiography Selma’s Self-Sacrifice, written by his grandsons. His legacy is also honored in Selma, where a portion of U.S. Route 80, starting at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, was named the Dr. Frederick D. Reese Parkway. /end

After the movement, Reese was elected to the Selma City Council, where he served for 14 years. In 2016, he received the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of all the Selma-to-Montgomery marchers. He died on April 5, 2018, at the age of 88, leaving behind a profound impact on American history. /6

Reese’s organizational efforts were instrumental in the voting rights events that unfolded in Selma, culminating in the “Bloody Sunday” march on the Edmund Pettus Bridge and the subsequent Selma to Montgomery marches. These events ultimately pressured Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. /5

In January 1965, as president of the Selma Teachers Association, Reese mobilized Black teachers to march for their right to vote. Teachers represented the largest group of Black professionals in the county, and that action inspired the wider community and garnered national headlines. /4

In 1962, Reese became president of the Dallas County Voters League, the primary civil rights organization in Selma at the time. He was one of the “Courageous Eight” local Black leaders who invited MLK and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to join the local struggle for voting rights. /3

Reese was a science and math teacher and assistant principal in rural Alabama before returning to Selma in 1960 to teach at R.B. Hudson High School. On March 21, 1965, he became the pastor of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, a position he held for more than 50 years. /2

Survivors would have had stories to tell.

New Mexico truly is a great place to live. Bravo, Santa Fe!