SELMA, Ala. (NEWSnet/AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to be among those marking the 59th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday,’ a day when Alabama law officers attacked Civil Rights demonstrators on Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.
On March 7, 1965, demonstrators were beaten by officers as they tried to march across Alabama in support of voting rights. A march across the bridge, a signature part of commemoration in Selma each year, is planned for Sunday afternoon.
It’s among dozens of events during the annual Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee, which began Thursday and culminates Sunday. The events commemorate Bloody Sunday and the signing of Voting Rights Act.
During a speech, Harris “will honor the legacy of the civil rights movement, address the ongoing work to achieve justice for all and encourage Americans to continue the fight for fundamental freedoms that are under attack throughout the country,” the White House said.
U.S. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, who is leading a pilgrimage to Selma, said he is seeking to “remind people that we are celebrating an event that started this country on a better road toward a more perfect union.”
“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 became a reality in August of 1965 because of what happened on March 7th of 1965,” Clyburn said. “Hopefully this year’s march will allow people to take stock of where we are.”
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland also is expected to attend the event in Selma.
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