Selma has heard enough speeches.
Every year, somebody stands in front of a camera and tells the people of Selma that help is on the way. More money. More grants. More federal investment. More revitalization. More public safety. More infrastructure. More opportunity.
Congresswoman Terri Sewell has repeatedly announced federal money for Selma and Dallas County projects. The list is not small. Her own community project records show $550,000 requested for Selma Community Oriented Policing Services to hire additional officers and help reduce gun violence. They show $4.876 million requested for the Selma Riverfront Multi-Plex, described as a public safety services center. They show $3.7 million requested for downtown Selma infrastructure in a 12-block area. They show $1.656 million requested for Alabama Avenue revitalization, $3 million requested for prototype resilient homes in Selma, and $900,000 requested for Craig Field Airport improvements.
In February 2026, Sewell announced $9.571 million in direct funding for 14 projects across Alabama’s 7th Congressional District, including $250,000 for Craig Field Airport, $1.656 million for Alabama Avenue, and $500,000 for Auburn University to construct ten prototype resilient homes in Selma.
That sounds good on paper.
But Selma does not live on paper.
Selma lives on roads that are already coming apart. Selma lives with boarded-up buildings. Selma lives with crime that people worry about in the daytime and nighttime. Selma lives with streets, smells, sidewalks, vacant storefronts, and public spaces that still make people ask the same question over and over:
Where did the money go?
That is not a cheap political shot. That is not racism. That is not “negativity.” That is not people being ungrateful.
That is accountability.
If millions of dollars have been secured, announced, requested, approved, celebrated, and photographed, then the people of Selma deserve to know exactly what happened after the cameras left. They deserve to know which money was actually received, which money is still pending, which money was obligated, which contractors were paid, which work was completed, which work failed, and which projects are still nothing but a press release.
Because right now, the results do not match the celebration.
If new roads are already breaking apart, who inspected them? Who signed off on the work? Who got paid? Was the job done right? Was it patched together just long enough for a ribbon-cutting? If infrastructure money went into downtown Selma, why do so many parts of the city still look neglected? If policing money was supposed to help reduce gun violence, why do residents still feel like crime is a constant problem? If revitalization money is being aimed at Alabama Avenue, why are property owners and business owners still having to ask how the process works?
That last question is not imaginary. WSFA reported in February 2026 that some Selma business owners were already calling for transparency over the Alabama Avenue revitalization project. One local business owner questioned how property owners were being contacted and included, while city officials said the project was tied to specific properties and would be put out for bid to a contractor.
Good. Then show the bids.
Show the contractor.
Show the scope.
Show the payments.
Show the before-and-after pictures.
Show the inspection reports.
Show the change orders.
Show the dates.
Show the public what happened to the money.
This is the problem with Selma: the city gets treated like a national symbol when politicians need a backdrop, but the people who actually live there are stuck with the day-to-day reality. They are stuck with failing roads, empty buildings, poverty, crime, bad smells, weak retail options, and a downtown that has been “about to be revitalized” for longer than anyone wants to admit.
When the best store in town is Wal-Mart, that is not economic development. That is survival.
When buildings are boarded up while politicians brag about revitalization, that is not progress. That is a contradiction.
When people are told millions are coming but they still have to dodge potholes and wonder whether the street is safe, that is not leadership. That is failure.
To be clear, Congresswoman Sewell does not run Selma City Hall. She does not pave the roads. She does not manage every project. She does not personally award every contract. If she helped bring federal money home, then she should be willing to stand beside the people and demand that every dollar be tracked publicly.
But local officials do not get to hide behind her press releases either.
The mayor, city council, department heads, grant writers, project managers, engineers, contractors, and anyone else handling public money should be required to answer one simple question:
What did Selma get for the money?
Not what was promised.
Not what was announced.
Not what was posted on Facebook.
What was actually built, repaired, cleaned up, improved, opened, staffed, stabilized, or made safer?
Selma does not need another ceremonial check. Selma needs receipts.
A city that has received this much attention and this much federal money should not still look abandoned in so many places. It should not smell neglected. It should not feel unsafe. It should not have citizens wondering whether grant money disappears into studies, consultants, administrative costs, bad contracts, political favorites, and half-finished projects.
Unsupported accusations do not automatically become false just because officials do not like hearing them. Sometimes “unsupported” only means nobody with authority has been forced to open the books yet.
So open them.
Create one public dashboard for every Selma project tied to federal funding. List the project name, amount, source, recipient, contractor, bid date, start date, completion date, status, payments made, inspections, delays, and photos. Update it monthly. Make it easy enough for regular citizens to understand.
If the money is being used properly, prove it.
If the projects are delayed, explain why.
If contractors did poor work, name them.
If officials made bad decisions, own them.
If money was wasted, recover it.
And if nobody can clearly explain where the money went, then Selma residents have every right to keep asking louder.
Because this city has been promised revival for too long.
The people do not need another speech about hope. They need roads that last. They need safe streets. They need buildings brought back to life. They need businesses worth shopping at. They need a city that looks like someone gives a damn.
Selma got the money.
Now show the results.