We Remember: The March on Edmund Pettus Bridge.
In this Black History Month, let us take a moment to recount the events of one of the starkest example of voter suppression that holds an indelible stain on our history. On March 7th, 1965, future Congressman John Lewis was joined by fellow civil rights activists Hosea Williams and Albert Turner as they led a march of an estimated 600 protesters through Selma, Alabama. The town of Selma had earned a reputation as a hot spot for voter suppression, and tensions were high as the marchers made their way along U.S Highway 80.
Everything went as planned until the group reached Edmund Pettus Bridge. As they began to cross, a crowd of armed and angry men came into view; a mix of official law enforcement officers and local men that county sheriff Jim Clark had deputized so that he could have as intimidating a presence as possible. Still, the demonstrators marched on, even as increasingly rage-filled yells encouraging them all to go home and abandon their entirely legal and peaceful protest emanated from the wall of officers in front of them. Soon, all hope that this protest would remain peaceful went out the window as the officers advanced on the marchers. Tear gas was fired as people were being knocked over, shoved around, and relentlessly beaten. When the dust finally settled on what would come to be known as “Bloody Sunday,” a total of 17 protesters would be hospitalized with severe injuries, and 50 more were wounded.
That very evening, as Americans across the country sat down to watch the news, they would be met with the horrific events that unfolded earlier in the day being broadcast right into their living rooms. After the initial shock subsided, the horror and outrage grew. President Lyndon B. Johnson gave a statement in which he condemned the violence perpetrated against the protesters and announced that getting a voting rights act to Congress would be his top priority. Martin Luther King called for civil rights supporters to come to Selma for a second march, held just two days later on March 9th.
RideShare2Vote stands with the civil rights protesters from our history just as we stand with those of today. At the very heart of the Rideshare2Vote mission is to remove barriers to participating in democracy. If your vote did not matter, people with privilege and in positions of power would not be fighting so hard to keep you from the polls. Join us as a volunteer and help RideShare2Vote ensure that every vote counts and that every voice is heard.
