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Second federal judge orders temporary reinstatement of thousands of probationary employees fired by the Trump administration; U.S., Canada political tension could affect Maine summer tourism; Report: Incarceration rates rise in MS, U.S. despite efforts at reform; MI study: HBCU students show better mental health, despite challenges.

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Trump administration faces legal battles on birthright citizenship; the arrest of a Palestinian activist sparks protests over free speech. Conservationists voice concerns about federal job cuts impacting public lands, and Ohio invests in child wellness initiatives.

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Farmers worry promised federal reimbursements aren't coming while fears mount that the Trump administration's efforts to raise cash means the sale of public lands, and rural America's shortage of doctors has many physicians skipping retirement.

Alabama teens use art to honor Bloody Sunday and push for change

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Friday, March 7, 2025   

Sixty years ago this weekend, young activists marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, demanding their right to vote and changing history in the process. Today, another group of young people is using art to make their voices heard.

A Boston-based arts group, beheard.world, has teamed up with Selma-area teens for "Selma Again," a production that blends dance, spoken word and music to shed light on the struggles the city still faces today.

Director and choreographer Anna Myer said the performance is about pushing forward, as well as looking back.

"The piece talks about real things that are happening and things that go to the heart," she said, "and it also talks about love and the only way forward is love and the only way to keep moving forward is if we do this together."

Myer said she first visited Selma years ago and was struck by how poverty and crime persist despite its historic significance. She and her husband, filmmaker Jay Paris, along with Selma natives, helped create a nonprofit initiative to blend nonviolence education, performing arts and storytelling for local youth. It's part of the Selma Cross-Cultural Nonviolence and Performing Arts Academy.

The academy was co-founded by Dallas County natives and civil rights veterans Charles Bonner and Viola Douglas, along with the Rev. Gary Crum of Elwood Christian Church. Through poetry and dance, teens confront modern challenges and honor past civil rights leaders.

Myer said this year's production highlights how today's youth can step into the legacy of activism left by the "foot soldiers" of the 1960s.

"For the kids, it's a big deal, because having a voice and speaking to an auditorium of people, it charges them up and really gives them an understanding that if they can speak and they have a voice, that people will listen - and that they should use their voice," she said. "And I think that's key."

"Selma Again" will be performed today (Fri., March 7) at the Morehouse College Ray Charles Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, and Saturday, March 8, at Ellwood Christian Academy in Selma, as part of the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee.

Myer emphasized that the show's ultimate goal is to spark meaningful conversations, promote understanding and inspire action for lasting change.


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