Dublin Core
Title
Bettie Mae Fikes
Subject
Selma student
Description
Fikes's account of Bloody Sunday appears in Handson the Freedom Plow.
Bettie Mae Fikes grew up surrounded by music. Her family was one of musicians, and from the age of six she herself was singing solos in church. After joining SNCC at the
age of sixteen, she became very involved in the movement, participating in boycotts and sit ins. She is perhaps best known for her rendition of ”This Little Light of Mine”,
with the lyrics changed to mention issues in Selma related to the Civil Rights Movement. This became known as the “Selma version” of the song. On Bloody Sunday,
she was given the job to relay messages from Brown’s Chapel to the captains of the march. She was at the Chapel when the violence occurred. She continued to take part
in the movement after Bloody Sunday and has been “singing for freedom ever since”. She has released several albums and sings with multiple groups. In 2020, she sang at the funeral service for Congressman John Lewis.
Bettie Mae Fikes grew up surrounded by music. Her family was one of musicians, and from the age of six she herself was singing solos in church. After joining SNCC at the
age of sixteen, she became very involved in the movement, participating in boycotts and sit ins. She is perhaps best known for her rendition of ”This Little Light of Mine”,
with the lyrics changed to mention issues in Selma related to the Civil Rights Movement. This became known as the “Selma version” of the song. On Bloody Sunday,
she was given the job to relay messages from Brown’s Chapel to the captains of the march. She was at the Chapel when the violence occurred. She continued to take part
in the movement after Bloody Sunday and has been “singing for freedom ever since”. She has released several albums and sings with multiple groups. In 2020, she sang at the funeral service for Congressman John Lewis.
Contributor
Brin Allen - Auburn University
Maddy Bridges - Auburn University
Maddy Bridges - Auburn University
Hyperlink Item Type Metadata
URL
https://www.crmvet.org/nars/chuckbet.htm
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