Georgians set to remember Bloody Sunday at annual march in Selma

Several notable Georgia politicians will head to Selma, Alabama for the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and march across Edmund Pettus Bridge.

The event takes place March 2 through 6 and has strong ties to Georgia. The late civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis led the first march over the bridge March 7, 1965. The protest took place after an activist was killed by Alabama police.

This year, Georgians attending include U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams and Sen. Raphael Warnock.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is one of the organizers for the four-day commemoration. SCLC President Dr. Charles Steele Jr. said it’s important to preserve history to educate future generations.

“The young people have not been told because in public schools and other schools, private schools as well, even have some churches, they don’t talk about what took place and how we got here,” Steele said.

The first march ended after marchers were assaulted by police. National outrage over the incident led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act just three months later.

Steele said the event is a reminder of America’s dark past and of the importance of continuing to work towards a better future.

“We cannot change what we started 58 years ago, because we see daily that the struggle for voting rights, human rights and racial equality continues in 2023,” he said.

President Joe Biden will also be marching, making him the latest president to attend the bridge crossing event after predecessors Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Amanda Andrews is a general assignment reporter for GPB News. She previously worked at KUNC as a Morning Edition producer and backup host.

This story comes to Postindustrial through a reporting partnership with GPB News, a non-profit newsroom covering the state of Georgia.