Saturday, March 7, marked the 50-year
anniversary of Bloody Sunday. March 7, 1965, was supposed to mark the start of a peaceful march for civil rights but the day ended in violence at the hands of the police and people of the surrounding communities at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.
The march headed up by Martin Luther King Jr. and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference was also detailed in the film “Selma” recently. The violence those peaceful protesters endured not only led to President Lyndon B. Johnson ordering that the protestors not be harmed by law enforcement for their next attempt to march, but also led to legislation that was pivotal in gaining African Americans their rights in this country.
Moments like that should be held in high regard as American history. It should be celebrated not just by African Americans, but by all citizens of America.
March 7, 1965, is important for two reasons: first, for how far we as a country have come; second, we should view it as what we could be if we don’t continue to fight for equality in this country.
#NeverForget
The Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of the Bloody Sunday violence, March 7, 1965. (Slate.com