AL SJR64

Joint resolution by the Alabama Legislature celebrating the life and mourning the death of Jo Ann Blackmon Bland of Selma, who passed away on February 19, 2026

Recognizes Bland's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement beginning as a child, including participation in the 1965 Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and enduring multiple arrests by age 11 for nonviolent demonstrations

Honors her co-founding of the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, establishment of Journeys for the Soul educational program, and work to develop Foot Soldiers Park

Notes her service in the U.S. Army, degree from the College of Staten Island, and role as one of the first students to integrate A.G. Parrish High School in Selma

Resolution passed the Senate on February 26, 2026 and the House on March 3, 2026, sponsored by Senator Robert Stewart Jr. and 34 co-sponsors