In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Movement and the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the city of Atlanta hosted a commendation ceremony and send-off rally Monday in the City Hall Atrium followed by a proclamation presentation to the Selma Jubilee Committee.
This month marks 50 years since brave activists of the Voting Rights Movement attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery on “Bloody Sunday” to protest the denial of their right to vote.
The first march from Selma to Montgomery was March 7, 1965. The march gained the nickname “Bloody Sunday” after state troopers and locals attacked the unarmed marchers with batons and tear gas on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The event prompted President Lyndon Johnson to ratify the Voting Rights Act – undoing state sanctioned obstacles that prevented African Americans from registering to vote.
Activities included a program with Rev. C.T. Vivian, Juanita Abernathy, J.T. Johnson, Lula Williams, Rev. Willie Bolden, Cleo Orange, and the family of the Rev. Hosea Williams.
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