Civil rights activists from throughout the nation will meet in Selma this weekend.
The Bridge Crossing Jubilee will commemorate the 57th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” Over 500 civil rights activists gathered in Selma to demand the right to vote on March 7, 1965. They walked six blocks to the Edmund Pettus Bridge and were met by state troopers, tear gas and brutal beatings. The Jubilee will commemorate this sacrifice and celebrate racial progress in the United States.
Olimatta Taal is a coordinator for the Bridge Crossing Jubilee. She emphasized that the Jubilee promotes activism today.
“The John Lewis Voting Rights Act was not passed. That means there’s a need to reorganize, there’s a need to galvanize, there’s a reason to mobilize people to make a statement that we will not let you turn back the clock," she said. "The theme of this year’s jubilee is Fight for the Vote. That is in the forefront of our minds collectively, that we must continue to fight for the vote.”
Almost 40 events will commemorate “Bloody Sunday” in Selma this year. They will include activism workshops, a mock trial competition, an intergenerational hip-hop summit, church services and more. The Jubilee Street Festival will take place on Water Avenue on Saturday and Sunday. It will feature food vendors and live performances. It is free with proof of voter registration.
The King Unity Breakfast on Sunday will feature civil rights activists like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Participants will cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge that evening. Taal said the atmosphere of the annual crossing is special.
“The feeling of thousands of people coming together from all around the United States to commemorate and honor those lives that were lost and those individuals who sacrificed for us to be here is very humbling, but at the same time the energy that you receive from it is so dynamic,” she said.
Civil rights activists will continue walking to Montgomery after crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They plan on arriving in Montgomery on Friday, March 11. For more information on the Bridge Crossing Jubilee, visit selmajubilee.com.
