Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, located in Selma, Alabama, is a historically significant site, particularly known for its crucial role in the Civil Rights Movement. Built in 1908 by a black builder, A.J. Farley, the church features an impressive Romanesque Revival style with twin towers, which have made it a distinctive landmark.
Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church served as a major organizing center for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) during the Selma Campaign. In early 1965, the church became the initial gathering place for the Selma to Montgomery marches, which were pivotal in the fight for voting rights for African Americans. The first march, known as "Bloody Sunday," saw peaceful protesters violently confronted by law enforcement on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
The church hosted many prominent civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who used it as a base of operations. It was from this church that the famous marches were launched, leading to significant national attention and eventually contributing to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Today, Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church stands not only as a place of worship but also as a symbol of resilience and the ongoing struggle for civil rights. It continues to attract visitors and historians interested in its rich legacy and its role in one of the most important movements in American history.