Foot Soldiers Park is a nonprofit organization that is soliciting donations in support of its plans to develop a park to memorialize events that took place during the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama. ¹ In March 2022, it announced that it had designs for the park as well as a community center. As of March 2024, it had not revealed a required budget for the project or timeline for when it will begin development. ²

In December 2022, Foot Soldiers Park was designated as the custodians of a $5 million grant using funds from the Inflation Reduction Act that was passed under the Biden administration. The grant was awarded through its partnership with Partnership for Equitable and Resilient Communities (PERC), which advocates for public funds to be given to ethnic minorities to improve wealth and health levels in ethnic minority communities. It was reported that the funds would be used to host meetings with community stakeholders to pursue additional funding from the federal government and philanthropic institutions. ³

Background

Foot Soldiers Park is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 2021. It fundraises for a prospective community center and park to memorialize the historic locations of the Civil Rights Movement in Selma, Alabama. ⁴

Foot Soldiers Park solicits donations to attempt to preserve the location of the civil rights movement’s Bloody Sunday march, claiming that the location could be used as a pilgrimage site for political activists. ⁵

Partner Organizations

Foot Soldiers Park partners include the left-of-center Marguerite Casey Foundation, Melville Charitable Trust, Common Power, and Black Voters Matter. ⁶

In 2022, Foot Soldiers Park partnered with Partnership for Equitable and Resilient Communities to support its advocacy for increased public spending that would redistribute funds to low-income communities. PERC states that the funding should also be controlled by ethnic minorities, requiring they decide how the funds are used. ⁷

Fundraising

Foot Soldiers Park is fundraising for the development of a facility it calls Foot Soldiers Park and Education Center. In March 2022, it announced that it has designs for the facility, which includes classroom spaces as well as a trail, playground, and museum to honor civil rights movement leaders and events that took place in Selma, Alabama. ^{8 9} As of March 2024, Foot Soldiers Park had not revealed an exact fundraising requirement, progress, or goal for the Foot Soldiers Park and Education Center. ¹⁰

Foot Soldiers Park advertises the project as a potential economic asset to the town of Selma, Alabama and claims the town needs funding for the project as 80 percent of its residents are ethnic minorities and 40 percent live in poverty. It also claims the “campus” will provide food giveaways, provide health-care services, and host a community garden. ^{11 12}

Financials

In 2022, Foot Soldiers Park reported receiving $2.8 million in contributions and total revenue, according to its tax returns. ¹³ It also reported $2.3 million in total expenses, including $267,836 in salaries and compensation of its employees. ¹⁴

Foot Soldiers Park executive director and co-founder Kimberly Smitherman was reported as having received $149,469 in compensation in 2022, and Foot Soldiers Park Cofounder and COO JoAnne Bland was reported has having received $92,209 in compensation in 2022. ¹⁵

Leadership

JoAnne Bland is a co-founder of Foot Soldiers Park and is a lifelong activist. She participated in protests during the civil rights movement, including the Bloody Sunday and Turnaround Tuesday marches that occurred in Selma. She is a public speaker and is the owner and operator of Journeys for the Soul, a touring agency based in Selma, Alabama that specializes in civil rights movement events. ¹⁶

1. ^[1] “Programs.” Foot Soldiers Park. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://footsoldierspark.org/programs.
2. “Media.” Foot Soldiers Park. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://footsoldierspark.org/media.
3. Fisher, Brad. “Selma in Line for $5m over next Three Years from New Philanthropic Effort to Advance Equity.” Selma Sun, December 11, 2022. https://selmasun.com/news/selma-in-line-for-5m-over-next-three-years-from-new-philanthropic-effort-to-advance/article_ef3294da-75b9-11ed-a5c4-5b00b253f19c.html.
4. “About Us.” Foot Soldiers Park. Accessed March 16, 2024. https://footsoldierspark.org/about-us.
5. “About Us.” Foot Soldiers Park. Accessed March 16, 2024. https://footsoldierspark.org/about-us
6. Home. Foot Soldiers Park. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://footsoldierspark.org/.
7. “Programs.” Foot Soldiers Park. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://footsoldierspark.org/programs.
8. “Our Park & Education Center.” Foot Soldiers Park. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://footsoldierspark.org/our-park-and-education-center.
9. Davis, Bethany. “Project Underway to Build ‘foot Soldiers Park’ in Selma.” https://www.wsfa.com, March 22, 2022. https://www.wsfa.com/2022/03/22/project-underway-build-foot-soldiers-park-selma/.
10. “Media.” Foot Soldiers Park. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://footsoldierspark.org/media.
11. ^[1] “Our Park & Education Center.” Foot Soldiers Park. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://footsoldierspark.org/our-park-and-education-center.
12. “Programs.” Foot Soldiers Park. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://footsoldierspark.org/programs.
13. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foot Soldiers Park Inc. 2022. Part I, Lines 8-12.
14. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foot Soldiers Park Inc. 2022. Part I, Lines 15-18.
15. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foot Soldiers Park Inc. 2022. Part VII.
16. “Leadership.” Foot Soldiers Park. Accessed March 16, 2024. https://footsoldierspark.org/leadership.