Honoring the 60th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March

Advance the Dream: Celebrate the Legacy and Continue the Mission

Today, we honor the 60th anniversary of the historic Selma to Montgomery March, a defining moment in the civil rights movement and a testament to the bravery and resilience of those who fought for racial and social justice. This moment in history reminds us that the march for equality and equity isn’t over—it’s ongoing, and each of us has a role to play.

As part of our Reality Health Games series, The Force for Health® Network proudly presents our Advance the Dream channel: a dynamic online community celebrating the heroes and legacy makers who have paved the way for civil rights, health equity, and social justice. Through education, media, tools, and challenges, Advance the Dream inspires the next generation of changemakers to carry the torch.

The Selma March: A Legacy of Courage and Impact

The Selma to Montgomery March in 1965 became one of the most pivotal demonstrations for voting rights. As we reflect on its significance, let’s examine three key takeaways from this historic moment:

  1. Challenging Discrimination
    This march courageously shone a spotlight on the discriminatory practices that disenfranchised black voters in the South. Over 3,000 participants faced violent opposition from law enforcement, an act of bravery that captured national and global attention.
  2. A Turning Point in Civil Rights History
    The Selma March demonstrated that the fight for equality was far from over, even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The brutality witnessed on “Bloody Sunday” generated public outrage, uniting Americans across racial and social lines in the pursuit of justice.
  3. The Passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
    The marchers’ resolve led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, outlawing discriminatory voting practices and reinforcing the principle that democracy should serve all citizens equitably.

Advance the Dream: Learn It. Live It. Share It.

This year, we’re keeping the spirit of Selma alive through our Advance the Dream initiatives, empowering individuals to honor the legacy of civil rights heroes while contributing to ongoing progress.

1. Learn It

Dive deep into this moment in history by enrolling in our MLK Basics Badge program—available for free in the Force for Health Academy. Explore impactful lessons, such as the Selma to Montgomery March, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. These modules are designed to educate and inspire, providing valuable insights into the struggle—and victories—of the civil rights era.

2. Live It

Become part of the legacy by joining our LIVE It! Virtual 54-Mile Challenge through the Force for Health® Virtual Wellness Club. Symbolically retrace the courageous steps of those who marched from Selma to Montgomery, promoting both your personal health and your commitment to justice. As part of this journey, we invite you to sign up as a 360° Ambassador, making your mark in the Reality Health Games and amplifying the movement for health and equity.

3. Share It

In the spirit of Selma, we encourage you to Share It. Use the Advance the Dream community to inspire others through stories, challenges, and calls to action. Complete your profile by answering what Advance the Dream means to you. Share the lessons, takeaways, and values of the civil rights movement with your family, friends, and social networks. Together, we can ensure the march for equality continues.

Why It Matters: A Call to Action

The anniversary of the Selma March is more than a moment of reflection—it’s a call to action. The ideals championed by the marchers in Selma remain incredibly relevant today as we face new challenges in the fight for equity, justice, and access to opportunity. Whether we’re combating voter suppression, addressing health disparities, or promoting social justice, every step we take helps advance the dream of a just and equitable future.

Join us this year for free, by downloading our 360° Force for Health Academy app, or as a 360° Ambassador for $49/year, to honor this milestone with purpose. Be a part of our Advance the Dream movement by committing to Learn It. Live It. Share It. Together, we’ll celebrate the past while building a healthier and more equitable future.

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Educators: Help create the Force for Health

Transcription of video: Hi, this is Dr. Robert Gillio. Dr. Robert, the Force for Health. 22 years ago, I was at Ground Zero shortly after nine 11 as part of a team helping set up a clinic called the Ground Zero Clinic. We studied, 1800 police officers and eventually 60,000 people in a World Trade Center registry. We’re looking at health outcomes, but one of the things we learned is that we were not ready then as citizens, and we’re not ready now as citizens or first responders. A third of us, including our first responders, are overweight, outta shape and don’t have baseline health records. They’re not taking care of me so they can take care of all the rest of us, the we. So we created this Force for Health Network. It’s a free tool for anyone that wants to join. And one of the things that make, maybe will make you interested in this as a teacher is I wrote a book about it. I wrote it as a cathartic thing for my teenage kids after nine 11, is why was mom and dad at Ground zero when airplanes were falling out of the sky with that book, we have, we have a series of, of versions of it with lesson plans and worksheets, that are appropriate for middle school or high school kids. And I’m not trying to sell a book. I’m trying to sell a vision, a vision of students and teachers and parents that can be a forceful for themselves, take care of their family, take care of their neighbors, and even in a distant disaster, a community far away in the world. But the book is narrated with multiple chapters, and, pictures and lesson plans. It’s free online. I’ve, I’ve not even been selling the book, in a hard copy. Maybe we will if people want it, but the goal is speaking to teenagers. What did a group of volunteers do at nine 11 from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as they were asked to step up and maybe help with a telemedicine and screening operation, at ground zero. What, and I want to get people thinking we’ve just been through another disaster. Yeah, we’ve been through Katrina, and there’s a book about that in here. Also, in the lessons learned group, basics, lessons learned group, it’s free. Join, and have access to this. I want the learners and the teachers and the instructors to be thinking about what lessons they learned during covid. What lessons have they learned during the political strife we’ve had or the, war in Europe What lessons are we learning potentially about global warming and real news or false news, fake news or fake science, or, changes in attitudes about science. So the point I’m getting at is I’d like you to join me and Have your students learn about these things, and then if they wish, they can work on me. And we, with a whole series of tools for project-based learning and personal improvement, starting more primarily with STEM or vow around the body and how it works with things like our 360 anatomy models, that will have your students being able to do, dissections and other such tools on their handhelds. And by the way, everything they do in this program is part of something we’re calling the reality Health games. We’re creating a new way to compete, get points when you walk, when, so when you move, when you learn, when you do community service, and when you earn, things for other people. Say your local fire department or, or church or temple or mosque or community. So can we create health promoting citizens of the world I think so. Is nine 11 the time to start thinking about it Yes. Is there free tools for anyone in the world to use Yes. please go to the link, provided at the www the force for health.com and join. join as a basic member at no cost. If you wanna advance things further, there’s other things that w that have some minimal cost to it, for people to be much, much more involved. We all need to be health literate. We all need to care about ourselves and be a health literate, health promoting community servant. Isn’t that what it’s all about at nine 11 Isn’t that a good lesson learned Look out for each other. Be vigilant, but be ready to adapt, improvise, and overcome, and prevent the next thing from happening. Thanks for being a force for health. Recommend0 recommendationsPublished in Dr. Rob Perspectives, Force for Health® Network News

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