Witness to History: Selma Photography of Stephen Somerstein

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© Stephen Somerstein, Exhibition Organized by Farrah Spott

After two attempts of trying to peacefully walk from Selma to Montgomery across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, civil rights marchers make their way to the steps of Alabama’s state capitol to raise their voices for the right to vote.

One college newspaper editor + five cameras + 15 rolls of film = 55 images that helped awaken civil rights change in America. And those 55 images comprise "Witness to History: Selma Photography of Stephen Somerstein," a visual narrative of one of the most pivotal moments in America’s civil rights movement.

Through the lens of this young photographer, the historic arrival of thousands of marchers from Selma to the capitol steps in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 25, 1965, was captured in poignant, now iconic, images that have become a reflective and timeless mirror of that day in 1965.

From prominent participants such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, John Lewis, James Baldwin, Joan Baez and Bayard Rustin, to the thousands of anonymous demonstrators and bystanders, Somerstein captured the spirit of this critical moment in history providing an incredible snapshot of those who helped change history.

"Witness to History" is on display through May 15, 2022. The Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 1:00-5:00 p.m.; closed Monday.