Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 8 hours ago
Joanne Bland was a Civil Rights icon. In remembrance, we wanted to share the interview Joanne did with Darley Newman at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Joanne was a courageous trailblazer. She marched in the Selma to Montgomery March and later went on to share her story many times as a tour guide in Selma, Alabama. Her story, should be remembered. It's living history.
We filmed this segment during COVID in Alabama, as part of two half hours of "Travels with Darley" charting destinations travelers can visit along Alabama's Civil Rights Trail. Darley sought out specifically women who lived through the movement. Many were child foot soldiers, like Doris Crenshaw, who slept on Rosa Parks' couch as a child and campaigned for Civil Rights, participating at the age of only 12 years old in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Their stories are remarkable.
During the 1950s and 60s, Alabama was a hotbed of activity surrounding the Civil Rights movement. Selma, Birmingham and Montgomery took the world’s stage and came into national and international homes following bombings and brutal attacks at churches, homes, bridges and beyond. Selma was the site of much social justice activity and tragedy.
On March 7, 1965, hundreds of civil rights marchers tried to travel out of Selma on U.S. Highway 80 over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They were peacefully marching for voting rights with civil rights activist John Lewis as one of their leaders. At the bridge, state troopers and a posse of lawmen were waiting to stop them. Joanne Bland was a child at the time and shares the story of her experience on Bloody Sunday and growing up in Selma.
Thank you, Joanne Bland.
For more on how you can travel Alabama's Civil Rights Trail, visit these resources:darley-newman.com/blog/top-tour-guides-alabamas-civil-rights-trail?rq=civil%20rights%20tr darley-newman.com/blog/alabamas-civil-rights-trail-sites-in-montgomery-selma-and-birmingham?rq=civil%20rights%20tr
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Joanne Bland was a Civil Rights icon. In remembrance, we wanted to share the interview Joanne did with Darley Newman at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Joanne was a courageous trailblazer. She marched in the Selma to Montgomery March and later went on to share her story many times as a tour guide in Selma, Alabama. Her story, should be remembered. It's living history.
We filmed this segment during COVID in Alabama, as part of two half hours of "Travels with Darley" charting destinations travelers can visit along Alabama's Civil Rights Trail. Darley sought out specifically women who lived through the movement. Many were child foot soldiers, like Doris Crenshaw, who slept on Rosa Parks' couch as a child and campaigned for Civil Rights, participating at the age of only 12 years old in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Their stories are remarkable.
During the 1950s and 60s, Alabama was a hotbed of activity surrounding the Civil Rights movement. Selma, Birmingham and Montgomery took the world’s stage and came into national and international homes following bombings and brutal attacks at churches, homes, bridges and beyond. Selma was the site of much social justice activity and tragedy.
On March 7, 1965, hundreds of civil rights marchers tried to travel out of Selma on U.S. Highway 80 over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They were peacefully marching for voting rights with civil rights activist John Lewis as one of their leaders. At the bridge, state troopers and a posse of lawmen were waiting to stop them. Joanne Bland was a child at the time and shares the story of her experience on Bloody Sunday and growing up in Selma.
Thank you, Joanne Bland.
For more on how you can travel Alabama's Civil Rights Trail, visit these resources:darley-newman.com/blog/top-tour-guides-alabamas-civil-rights-trail?rq=civil%20rights%20tr darley-newman.com/blog/alabamas-civil-rights-trail-sites-in-montgomery-selma-and-birmingham?rq=civil%20rights%20tr
Subscribe for more travel and history.
