On the ground in Selma: Marchers honor defining civil rights moment

60 years after Bloody Sunday, thousands gather in Selma to honor a defining moment in the Civil Rights Movement. AJC’s Senior Reporter Ernie Suggs is on the ground, covering the commemoration of this historic march and the lasting impact of the fight for voting rights. On March 7, 1965, peaceful demonstrators advocating for Black voting rights were brutally attacked by state troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, including John Lewis, then-chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and Hosea Williams, a top aide to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The violence shocked the nation and helped lead to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Six decades later, civil rights leaders, march survivors, and supporters return to Selma to reflect on its legacy and the work still left to be done. Credits: @erniesuggs / AJC | Getty Images | AP