Funeral Arrangements Announced for Rev. Dr. F.D. Reese

Funeral arrangements have been announced for Rev. Dr. Fredrick Douglas Reese, a civil rights leader who was well known in Selma and elsewhere across the country. Reese died Thursday in Atlanta at the age of 88.

Reese was one of the local leaders of the Selma Voting Rights Movement of 1965, inviting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Selma in the 1960s to help in the fight for voting rights. He was also one of the marchers who was beaten by state troopers on Bloody Sunday.

Reese was the pastor at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Selma for 50 years. He has a street named in his honor in Selma.

Here are the events to celebrate his life:

Thursday, April 12:

Dr. Reese’s body will lie in state for public viewing from Noon-3PM at the Carl C. Morgan Convention Center in Selma. “Moments of Reflection” will be held from 5:30-7PM at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Selma.

Friday, April 13:

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church. If there are too many people to safely fit inside the church, there will be a satellite location set up at the Selma High School auditorium. There will be parking available at Selma Mall near the former JCPenney with shuttle transportation.

For more information, call (334) 875-1382.