This marker honoring murdered civil rights activist Viola Liuzzo is located on U.S. Highway 80, about 20 miles east of Selma, Dallas County. It was erected in 1991 at the site where she was shot and killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan on March 25, 1965, after the Selma to Montgomery March. The memorial is one of several on the National Park Service’s Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.
The Viola Liuzzo Memorial is located in Lowndes County, Alabama, along the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. It commemorates the life and legacy of Viola Liuzzo, a civil rights activist who was murdered in 1965 while participating in the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery. Liuzzo, a white woman from Michigan, had traveled to Alabama to support the civil rights movement and was targeted by members of the Ku Klux Klan, who shot and killed her while she was driving back to Selma.
The memorial is situated at the site where Liuzzo’s body was found, near the intersection of Highway 80 and Alabama Highway 21. It consists of a large granite monument inscribed with Liuzzo’s name and the words “She died for freedom and justice.” The monument is surrounded by a garden with a bench for visitors to sit and reflect.
The Viola Liuzzo Memorial serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by many during the civil rights movement, including those who traveled from other parts of the country to support the cause. It also highlights the ongoing struggle for racial equality and justice in America.
