{"id":343832,"date":"2025-01-23T08:53:28","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T14:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.selmatimesjournal.com\/?p=343832"},"modified":"2025-01-23T09:55:34","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T15:55:34","slug":"marion-2-selma-bike-ride-blends-history-tourism-and-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.selmatimesjournal.com\/2025\/01\/23\/marion-2-selma-bike-ride-blends-history-tourism-and-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBike Ride blends history, tourism and fun"},"content":{"rendered":"

Josh Bean<\/strong>
\nSpecial to The ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ-Journal<\/em><\/p>\n

The inaugural Historical Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBicycle Ride will commemorate the 60th anniversary of one of the most important and notorious moments in Civil Rights history.<\/p>\n

The cycling event, set for Feb. 20, begins in Marion and rolls 31 miles through Perry and Dallas counties in the heart of the Alabama Black Belt. A kickoff event in Marion is scheduled for Feb. 19, and the event also includes tours, dinners and special events available to participants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re coming to ride a bike, but people can come and learn about other historical aspects in the area,\u201d said Clay Carmichael, an organizer of the Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBike Ride who serves on the ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñCity Council. \u201cWhile they\u2019re here, they can take tours, they can stay the night, they can visit our incredible restaurants and shops and art galleries, and they can really immerse themselves into the history of the Black Belt region and learn about its importance to American history.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Feb. 18, 1965, a peaceful civil rights march in Marion turned violent when state troopers attacked the marchers and shot local activist Jimmie Lee Jackson, who was protecting his mother and grandmother at the time of the shooting. He died eight days later.<\/p>\n

The violence in Marion served as a precursor to Bloody Sunday and the Selma-to-Montgomery March in March 1965, seminal Civil Rights events that galvanized nationwide support for voting rights and paved the way for Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965.<\/p>\n

National television coverage of Bloody Sunday seared the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñviolence into the American consciousness, thanks largely to black-and-white video of the carnage, while Jackson\u2019s death and the violence in Marion was often lost in the fog of history.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to remember that what happened in Marion led to the events in ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñin March 1965,\u201d Carmichael said. \u201cMarion sometimes gets left out of the story, and we hope the inaugural Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBicycle Ride will help spotlight the courage shown in Marion 60 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Marion Mayor Dexter Hinton, \u201cI think we too easily forget history and the people who made the ultimate sacrifice. This bicycle ride allows current and past acknowledgments with some fresh air and self-reflection. History is our starting point.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBicycle Ride \u2013 co-sponsored by the Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association, Blackbelt Benefit Group, the Conservation Fund, Main Street Marion, RC&D Association of Alabama, and Montgomery Bicycle Club \u2013 takes place just two days before the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñto Montgomery Bike Ride on Saturday, Feb. 22.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBicycle Ride on Feb. 20 commemorates the 60th anniversary of civil rights protests in Marion, events that ultimately led to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. (Photo courtesy of Montgomery Bicycle Club)<\/p><\/div>\n

The ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñto Montgomery cycling event follows the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñto Montgomery National Historic Trail, which re-traces the steps and stops taken by Martin Luther King Jr. and other marchers from Selma\u2019s Edmund Pettus Bridge, the site of Bloody Sunday, to the Alabama Capitol in downtown Montgomery. This event is designed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñto Montgomery March.<\/p>\n

The Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBike Ride costs $25 and Carmichael emphasized that organizers are also providing transportation for out-of-town cyclists who arrive at the Montgomery airport. Online registration is available at https:\/\/www.bikereg.com\/2025m2s.<\/p>\n

A separate registration fee is necessary for riders wishing to participate in the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñto Montgomery cycling event. Registration in the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñto Montgomery ride is not required to participate in the Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñevents.<\/p>\n

All proceeds from the Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBike Ride will help fund bicycle infrastructure in Marion and Selma.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are honored to be part of the first Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBicycle Ride,\u201d Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association director Pam Swanner said. \u201cNot only do proceeds from this event benefit an extremely worthy cause for enhancing tourism\u2019s impact in the Black Belt, but it\u2019s wonderful to play a part in acknowledging and highlighting the amazing contributions made to the Civil Rights Movement in Marion. Our organization is delighted to shine a light on how Marion residents helped shape American history for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carmichael noted some cyclists may choose to participate in both rides, allowing them to re-trace the steps the Civil Rights movement took from Marion to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñand on to Montgomery in February and March 1965.<\/p>\n

The Black Belt includes the following 23 counties: Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Wilcox.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Josh Bean Special to The ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ-Journal The inaugural Historical Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBicycle Ride will commemorate the 60th anniversary of one of the most important and notorious moments in Civil Rights history. The cycling event, set for Feb. 20, begins in Marion and rolls 31 miles through Perry and Dallas counties in the heart […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3758,"featured_media":343834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,7,238],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-343832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-sports","category-newsletter-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMarion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBike Ride blends history, tourism and fun - The ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ\u2011Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.selmatimesjournal.com\/2025\/01\/23\/marion-2-selma-bike-ride-blends-history-tourism-and-fun\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBike Ride blends history, tourism and fun - The ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ\u2011Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Josh Bean Special to The ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ-Journal The inaugural Historical Marion 2 ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñBicycle Ride will commemorate the 60th anniversary of one of the most important and notorious moments in Civil Rights history. 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