Civil rights activist, in Selma with MLK, to visit Valley

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A civil-rights activist will be in the Mahoning Valley later this month to offer presentations on his experiences.

The Rev. Clark Olsen traveled to Selma, Ala., in March 1965, at the request of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for people of faith to join the march from Selma to Montgomery after the events of “Bloody Sunday.”

The Rev. Mr. Olsen and two other ministers, the Revs. Orloff Miller and James Reeb, were attacked by racists on the night of March 9 after dinner at Walker’s Cafe. They were on their way to Brown’s Chapel for a meeting with King.

One of the attackers hit the Rev. Mr. Reeb in the head with a club, fracturing his skull. He lost consciousness in Mr. Olsen’s arms and died two days later in a Birmingham hospital.

In retelling his story, Mr. Olsen will reflect on his place in the larger arc of justice that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and his continued work for racial justice.

Free public events are scheduled. They are:

7 p.m. Sept. 26, presentation and reception at Tyler Historical Center, 325 W. Federal St., downtown Youngstown.

11 a.m. Sept. 27, worship service and conversation at Unitarian Universalist Church, 1105 Elm St.

11 a.m. Sept. 28, lecture, “What on Earth Have I Done,” at Museum of Industry and Labor, 151 W. Wood St.

Sponsors are Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Youngstown, Mahoning Valley Historical Society and Youngstown State University.

For information, contact Penny Wells, director of Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past, at 330-207-4467 or send email to pennywwells@sbcglobal.net.