Your Future Neighbor: Activate Selma
Updated: Oct 1
What can happen when people decide to take action in their own community?
In Selma, it started with four people meeting for coffee.
In 2018, Jeffery Hamilton was working at The Rudy Theatre, which was bringing thousands of visitors to town each year. But when those visitors stepped outside the theater, there weren't many other places downtown for them to go. At the same time, Cindy Brookshire was volunteering at Selma's welcome center.
A conversation between the two led to “Four Cups Selma,” a weekly coffee meeting that included Melissa Dooley Serrano and downtown business owner Donna Reed. They started talking about what they could do to help Selma shine.
Those conversations grew into Activate Selma, a grassroots organization that brings together residents, business owners, nonprofits and volunteers. The group still meets every Wednesday, often at a different location around town.
"The idea was to bring everyone together to see what's going on in their downtown 'living room' and spur creative thinking that way."
— Jeffery Hamilton/Activate Selma
Start with what you can change
Activate Selma's motto: “We don't complain, we take action”, is more than a saying. It's written into the bylaws.
In the beginning, that meant starting small. The group asked the town to address overflowing trash cans downtown. One business owner created a selfie wall inside her store. Another took a fresh look at her storefront and updated the paint and displays.
"We thought our visual change would help spur others to change. "
— Cindy Brookshire/Activate Selma
Keep showing up – and give people reasons to come back
Some of those first ideas became projects and events: Rockin' on Raiford street concerts, a Thriller flash mob during the downtown Spooktacular or a free hot dog meal in Activate Alley. The goal isn't one big event. It's creating mutiple reasons for people to keep coming back.
"The projects we take on are small, grassroots projects aimed at pushing for 200 small events a year - 200 reasons to bring people to Selma for two hours and spend money at one of the stores or restaurants, and hopefully 200 reasons for people to come together and bond as a community."
— Cindy Brookshire/Activate Selma
Local businesses put ideas into action
Bringing people downtown is one part of the story. Local entrepreneurs investing in Selma is another.
Jeffery and his sister Zena purchased a building and opened Coffee on Raiford, now owned by Jim and Kim Fry. They later invested in another building and are preparing to open Zena's Gift Shop.
Michael Sneed invested in several downtown buildings and opened Appliance Boot Camp and The Old Fashioned Ice Cream. And other businesses have continued adding new reasons to visit downtown.
"Those efforts took a lot of sweat equity, research and investment in rehabbing these old buildings that were not in shape to open."
— Jeffery Hamilton/Activate Selma
Jeffery also points prospective entrepreneurs to the Small Business Center at Johnston Community College, a resource he and his sister used when they were getting started.
Today, The Rudy Theatre is joined by destinations including Hidden Temple Toys, Asian Eatery, Hahvahd Yahd Cafe, Retrograde Vintage NC, Alta's Coffee and Deli and Quantum Toad.
"Seven years ago, that was our vision - and it's just all come to fruition - thanks to everybody."
— Jeffery Hamilton/Activate Selma
The work has earned attention outside Selma, too. Selma reached the Final Four in Strong Towns' 2024 Strongest Town competition, Activate Selma was named JNOW Magazine's 2024 Nonprofit of the Year, and Jeffery was recognized as the Triangle East Chamber of Commerce's Citizen of the Year..
In 2025, Our State also told the story of Selma's grassroots revitalization in “Saving Selma.”
Growing without losing what makes Selma, Selma
With new investment coming to Selma, we asked Jeffery what he hopes the town holds onto.
In addition to preserving farmland, he points to Atkinson's Mill and Mitchener Station, one of the state's oldest freight train stations, as pieces of Selma's history worth preserving. And Selma's longstanding connection to rail and road travel remains part of both its identity and its opportunity.
For Jeffery, what's ahead for Selma isn't separate from what came before it. Both are part of the town's story.
What makes a good neighbor?
We end every Your Future Neighbor conversation with the same question: What makes a good neighbor?
Jeffery's answer came back to the people who continue to show up.
"They come to catch up and they come to learn what they can do or what kind of project we're working on that they may help. The other part of that is our neighbors keep investing in our little town."
— Jeffery Hamilton/Activate Selma
That investment can mean opening a business or restoring a building. It can mean organizing an event, helping with a project or simply showing up on Wednesday to see where you can help.
In Selma, good neighbors aren't just watching their community grow. They're helping shape what comes next.
Your Future Neighbor introduces you to the people, businesses and organizations already shaping the community around Local70. Because finding your place starts with getting to know the people who are already here.
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