Deep Reads: Public memories. Private struggles.

With the 60th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery approaching next year, Philip Howard wants to ensure that visitors to Alabama receive a more robust truth, one that goes beyond a paragraph written on a historical marker.

Howard conceived an ambitious goal to tell a cohesive, robust story about the Selma-to-Montgomery march. The march was mostly known for its beginnings, when officers beat and bloodied protesters walking over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. But few delved into the details that made the third attempt to cross the bridge successful, including the families and organizations that helped along the way. 

There were four “campsites” where protesters stayed overnight while completing their 54-mile sojourn. Persuading the families who owned these campsites to publicly preserve their history would be a journey of its own.

This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written and read by Robert Samuels. Audio production and original music composition by Bishop Sand.