Tales from the Archives: St. Thomas’ Selma Connection 

March marks the 60th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march, a series of marches organized to protest the widespread denial of voting rights and other freedoms for Black Americans under Jim Crow laws. The marches would become a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and led to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Although these events took place more than 1,500 miles from campus, two members of the St. Thomas community had ties to this pivotal moment in history. 

On Sunday, March 14, 1965, St. Thomas President Monsignor James Shannon received an urgent telegram from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. followed shortly thereafter by a phone call. Shannon was invited by King to attend a memorial service in Selma honoring Reverend James Reeb, who was murdered by a group angered by his involvement in the civil rights activities in Selma. King emphasized during his telephone call that the presence of a prominent Catholic leader would symbolize interfaith unity in the fight for civil rights. Initially, Shannon thought that some other cardinal or bishop should represent the Church at the service, as he had only been designated a bishop-elect and was not yet ordained. However, with no one else available, he quickly arranged to travel to Selma in time for the service the following afternoon. 

In his autobiography, The Reluctant Dissenter, Shannon remembered the air of tension that filled the Brown Chapel AME Church before the memorial service. But when King arrived, Shannon recalled “We all rose, joined hands and began to chant, ‘We shall overcome.’” Shannon spoke only briefly at the service but noted in his remarks, “It is ironic that in the United States, which is revered as the home of freedom, is also the country that gives graphic evidence of man’s inhumanity to man.”  

Shannon later described King’s eulogy at the service as one of the most inspiring experiences of his life. “Dr. King’s moving address uttered not one word of rancor,” Shannon wrote. “He praised the personal generosity and courage of James Reeb and told us that all members of the human family are equal in the eyes of God and equally deserving of all the rights promised in the Constitution. It was a healing message, full of hope and kindness.”

Shannon is seen in attendance on the far right in this photo from Reeb’s memorial service.

Another member of the St. Thomas community, psychology professor Tadeus Gierymski, also journeyed to Selma. Gierymski’s experiences as a member of the underground resistance in his native Poland, a participant in the Warsaw Uprising and as a POW during World War II profoundly influenced his desire to participate in the civil rights demonstration. He noticed troubling similarities between the way freedoms were being denied in the United States and the injustices he had seen in Europe. “The exact reason for my going is hard to explain,” Gierymski told The Aquin, “but I felt it was a cause for which I must stand up and be counted.”   

Gierymski made the trip on a bus chartered by a University of Minnesota student who had been active in voting registration drives in Mississippi. With him on the trip were a diverse group of people from the Twin Cities. “I don’t know why they went ... but the common denominator of trying to manifest and correct an injustice united us,” he said.

The group joined the large crowd in Selma on March 21 to begin the march to Montgomery. He recalled that his group walked throughout the day and found shelter in local churches or slept in open fields at night. “Perhaps going on this march isn’t much,” he stated. “But anything more than zero is better than zero.”   

As the 60th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march is marked, the experiences of Monsignor Shannon and Professor Gierymski are a reminder that the fight for justice belongs to everyone. Their examples highlight the lasting impact of the Civil Rights Movement and a shared responsibility to keep pushing for equality.