Sheyann Webb - The Smallest Freedom Fighter

As an adolescent, Sheyann Webb advocated for Black voting rights in America.

On January 11, 1965, eight-year-old Sheyann Webb, a third grader at a segregated public school in Selma, Alabama, packed her lunch and walked to school with her best friend, Rachel West. On the way, she noticed a group of Black and white people gathered outside the Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, a rare sight in the segregated South. Curious, she followed them inside. For five hours, she listened to civil rights leaders talk about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the fight for African American voting rights.

Born on February 17, 1956, Sheyann grew up in a family of eight children. Although President Lyndon Johnson had signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, states like Alabama still found ways to keep Black citizens from voting. In Selma, only about 1% of Black residents were registered due to intimidation and violence. Civil rights groups had chosen Selma as a focus for protest, and Sheyann had stumbled into the center of the movement.

One day, Sheyann asked her parents why they could not vote. They explained that Black people in Alabama risked losing their jobs, or worse, if they tried. But Sheyann was inspired by Dr. King and began skipping school to attend church meetings.

When Dr. King visited Selma, he asked Sheyann and her friends, “What do you want, children?” They answered, “Freedom!” Sheyann led the group in the song “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around,” earning the nickname “the smallest freedom fighter.”

For her ninth birthday, Sheyann wished for her parents to register to vote. They tried but were turned away. Soon after, during a peaceful protest in Marion, Alabama, a young man named Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot by a police officer while defending his grandfather. His death led activists to plan a 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery.

Despite her parents’ warnings, Sheyann joined 600 marchers on March 7, 1965. When they reached the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were met by police with clubs and attack dogs. The group knelt to pray, but as they rose, police released tear gas and charged. Sixteen people were hospitalized in what became known as Bloody Sunday. Sheyann escaped, but her family faced threats from white residents.

Two weeks later, Dr. King led another march. On March 21, Sheyann joined 3,200 people walking toward Montgomery. When Governor George Wallace refused to protect the marchers, President Johnson sent federal troops. Four days later, 25,000 people stood at the Alabama State Capitol as Dr. King declared, “We ain’t gonna let nobody turn us around.”

Five months later, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices. Sheyann finally saw her parents vote, along with thousands of other Black residents in Selma.

The next year, Dr. King was assassinated, and Sheyann mourned her hero. When she entered junior high, she was among the first Black students to integrate an all-white school. She endured harassment, name-calling, and physical attacks, but refused to give up.

Sheyann Webb grew into a lifelong advocate for peace, justice, and understanding. Her story reminds us that courage is not about size or age, it is about refusing to back down when the cause is just. She proved that when others tell you that you can’t get there, you keep marching forward. And eventually, you do.

References:
Davidson, Josh. “Sheyann Webb: A Story for First Grade.” Civil Rights Teaching, Civil Rights Teaching, 8 Sept. 2024, www.civilrightsteaching.org/resource/sheyann-webb.
“Sheyann Webb-Christburg.” Bk2Bama, bk2bama.org/instructor/sheyann-webb-christburg/.

Key words:
Civil Rights, Justice, Courage, Perseverance, Freedom, Responsibility, Challenge Injustices, Stand Up for Your Beliefs

Image Citation:
"022715-national-sheyann-webb-christburg-the-smallest-freedom-fighter-in-selma-11.jpg" by National Photo licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Explore ARTEFFECT projects about this Unsung Hero:
Sheyann Webb Artworks