As the nation commemorates the 61st anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the March 7, 1965 attack on peaceful voting-rights marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma a new anthem is rising from the Black church, echoing both memory and mandate.
Award-winning composer and faith leader Nolan Williams Jr. has written Just Like Selma, a social justice hymn that connects the courage of 1965 to today’s renewed debates around voting rights, civic participation and moral leadership.
The hymn serves as the musical centerpiece of the national Just Like Selma Campaign, a 100-day civic engagement initiative. Rooted in Black faith traditions and the historic role of houses of worship as centers of education and advocacy, the campaign invites congregations in 100 cities across at least 11 denominations to join what organizers call a “100-city chorus for voting rights.”
Remembering Bloody Sunday and Reclaiming the Bridge
Bloody Sunday marked a turning point in American history. The violent assault on peaceful marchers shocked the nation and helped accelerate passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Sixty-one years later, organizers say the commemoration is not simply about remembrance, it is about responsibility.
Just Like Selma draws on the musical tradition of 1960s freedom songs, grounding its message in the sound and spirit of the civil-rights church. Through sweeping choral arrangements and congregational refrains, the hymn calls communities to reflect, to act and to protect hard-won freedoms.
“This is not nostalgia,” campaign organizers note. “It is a musical call to conscience.”
The Just Like Selma Program
At the heart of the initiative is a comprehensive worship and civic-engagement toolkit designed for churches nationwide. Participating congregations receive:
- Sheet music and choral arrangements of Just Like Selma
- Worship resources and sermon prompts rooted in civil rights history
- Educational materials linking the 1965 march to present-day civic issues
- Guidance for hosting voter education conversations and community forums
The campaign is intentionally interdenominational, anchored in Black Baptist, AME, CME, COGIC and other faith traditions, while welcoming congregations of all backgrounds who share a commitment to justice and democratic participation.
Connecticut Churches Join the Chorus
In Connecticut, several congregations have joined the national effort, bringing the hymn and its message to New England communities.
Through hymn-sings, civic-focused services and community dialogues, these churches are using music as both remembrance and mobilization reminding congregants that the bridge from Selma stretches far beyond Alabama.
Music as Moral Memory
For Williams, the project reflects the enduring power of sacred music in public life.
“Just Like Selma reminds us that the work of Selma is not finished, music has always galvanized communities in moments of moral clarity,” said Williams, “That is why we are inviting congregations and civic organizations nationwide to join us in this special hymn-sing project.”
The Black church has long functioned as a moral compass in American society shaping social movements, educating communities and inspiring courage through song. In 1965, freedom songs fortified marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. In 2026, Just Like Selma seeks to fortify a new generation facing contemporary civic challenges.
As the 61st anniversary of Bloody Sunday is observed, the question is not only how the nation remembers but how it responds.
In churches from Selma to Connecticut, the refrain is rising:
Just like Selma, we will stand.
