Sixty Years Since Bloody Sunday Violence in Selma

On March 7, 1965, over 600 civil rights activists peacefully marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to demand voting rights but were violently confronted by state troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, an event now known as 'Bloody Sunday.' The brutal suppression of the marchers galvanized public support for civil rights, leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act later that year. Key leaders such as Amelia Boynton Robinson and John Lewis played significant roles in organizing the march, which aimed to highlight the ongoing disenfranchisement of Black voters amidst Jim Crow laws. Despite the progress made since that fateful day, racial tensions and challenges to voting rights persist in the U.S. Today, the legacy of Bloody Sunday continues to inspire activism and advocacy for equal rights. Commemorations of the anniversary stress the importance of honoring those who fought for voting rights and highlight the ongoing struggle against injustice.