Alabama’s Bloody Sunday Remembered

On March 7th, 1965, in Selma, Alabama, police attacked a group of 600 protesters marching against the denial of voting rights to Blacks. Shocking images of people being clubbed and tear-gassed were broadcast on national television, and the incident pressured President Lyndon. B. Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act three months later. That probably would not have happened had it not been for the bravery of the Selma community who stood up for justice.

On this day, almost sixty years ago, they marched from Brown Chapel AME Church to Edmund Bridge. Waiting for them was a group of Alabama State Troopers led by Sheriff Jim Carter – himself a segregationist. When the march refused to turn back, officers on horseback attacked them and chased down fleeing women and children. Dozens were severely injured and needed hospital treatment. Among them was protest leader John R. Lewis, an aspiring congressman and founding member and chair of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

Two days later, another march was held in Selma, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called on people nationwide to turn up. Many did. The courage shown in Alabama should never be forgotten.