Sheyann Webb-Christburg: The "Smallest Freedom Fighter" Reflects on Bloody Sunday and the Fight for Voting Rights
"We cannot turn around. We've come too far."
A Child at the Bridge
At just eight years old, Sheyann Webb-Christburg crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965—a day that would be etched into history as Bloody Sunday. She is remembered as the "smallest freedom fighter" for her participation in the Selma to Montgomery marches.
Webb-Christburg recounted witnessing police unleash teargas, billy clubs, horses, and dogs against peaceful marchers. During the chaotic retreat, she was carried to safety by civil rights leader Hosea Williams.
A Modern-Day Warning
Decades later, Webb-Christburg remains a vocal advocate for voting rights. She recently criticized the Supreme Court’s actions regarding the Voting Rights Act, calling them "a kneecap" that discriminates against voters.
Her message is clear: the struggle is not over. She emphasized the ongoing need for voter education and registration efforts to protect the hard-won rights of the past.
Roots in the Movement
Webb-Christburg grew up next to Brown Chapel church in Selma, Alabama. Despite her parents' fears of Ku Klux Klan reprisals, she attended civil rights meetings and participated in voter registration drives as a child—a foundation that would define her life’s work.
Webb-Christburg's journey from a child on the front lines to a lifelong activist embodies the resilience of a movement that refuses to turn back.