Historic church and civil rights landmark featuring preserved architecture, interpretive exhibits, and sacred spaces that served as a central organizing location for the voting rights movement in America.
Sunday Worship Service: 10:30am
Contact the church in advance to arrange visits and group tours
Donations welcome
How to Get There
From Selma: Travel through downtown Selma via Broad Street or Water Avenue, continue to Martin Luther King Street, and follow signs to the historic church at 410 Martin Luther King Street.
Overview
Brown Chapel AME Church stands among the most important landmarks of the American Civil Rights Movement. Founded shortly after the Civil War, the congregation became nationally known during the 1960s when it served as the headquarters for voting rights campaigns led by local activists and national civil rights leaders. The church was the starting point for the historic Selma to Montgomery marches, including the events of Bloody Sunday, which helped draw national attention to barriers preventing African Americans from exercising their right to vote. Its red brick sanctuary became a gathering place where strategy meetings, mass rallies, and community organizing efforts helped shape a turning point in American history.
Today, visitors encounter a site that combines spiritual significance with profound historical importance. The church preserves the legacy of the men and women who risked their safety to advance civil rights and equal voting access. Tours and interpretive programs explore the congregation's role in the movement while highlighting the leadership of clergy, local residents, and activists who worked for social change. Located in the heart of Selma's historic district, the church remains an enduring symbol of courage, faith, and democratic participation, attracting visitors from around the world who seek to better understand the struggle for civil rights in the United States.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles and official tourism pages for the Brown Chapel AME Church, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
