Black Voters Matter will join local, state and national civil rights and social justice organizations, along with elected officials, in Selma, Alabama, from March 6 to March 8 to commemorate the 61st anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the historic Selma to Montgomery march.
“This year’s gathering comes as the Voting Rights Act faces one of its most significant threats in decades. The Supreme Court will imminently issue its decision in Louisiana v. Callais, a case that could gut Section 2 of the VRA, a key provision that prohibits voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race. As the court prepares to rule on this case that could dismantle the few remaining tools to combat racially discriminatory voting maps, advocates, foot soldiers and community members will return to the bridge, one of the most important sites of the Civil Rights Movement, to reaffirm that the fight for voting rights and racial justice is far from over,” Black Voters Matter said in a press release.
Ahead of the bridge crossing, Black Voters Matter and its partners will host events focused on both the historical legacy of Selma and its present-day impact on Black communities. Organizers plan a community-led warrant clinic aimed at resolving misdemeanor and traffic warrants by reducing fines and fees in an arrest-free environment. Organizers said last year’s clinic cleared more than $200,000 in fines and fees and helped restore suspended driver’s licenses, along with access to housing and employment for local residents.
Other events include a public conversation titled “From the Bridge to Today: Where Do We Go From Here,” a screening of Black Voters Matter’s “Love, Joy, & Power” documentary, additional panel discussions and an HBCU student teach-in on organizing and resistance in the current political climate.
The weekend will culminate Sunday with a pre-bridge crossing rally and a symbolic march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where 61 years ago John Lewis and hundreds of peaceful protesters faced violence in a moment that helped galvanize the nation and led to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Participating organizations and speakers include Black Voters Matter; Growing Real Alternatives Everywhere; Transformative Justice Coalition; the Legal Defense Fund; the ACLU; the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights; the Southern Poverty Law Center; Common Power; Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison; New York Attorney General Letitia James; and advocates, community members and voters.
All times are Central.
Events begin Friday, March 6, with a warrant clinic from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 709 Martin Luther King Jr. St., Selma. A public conversation, “From the Bridge to Today: Where Do We Go From Here,” will follow from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Walton Theater, 1000 Selma Ave., Selma. A “Love, Joy, & Power” documentary screening and reception is scheduled from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at Walton Theater.
On Saturday, March 7, an “Our Selma Moment: Fighting and Building” panel featuring Black Voters Matter legal director April Albright will run from noon to 2 p.m. at Brown Chapel AME Church, 410 Martin Luther King St., Selma. An HBCU student teach-in is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Enslavement & Civil War Museum, 1408 Water Ave., Selma.
On Sunday, March 8, organizers plan Sunday morning services from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at various locations, including Tabernacle Baptist Church, Clinton Chapel, Brown Chapel Church and First Baptist Church. A pre-bridge crossing rally will run from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Brown Chapel AME Church, 410 Martin Luther King St., Selma. The Selma bridge crossing is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. at the Edmund Pettus Bridge near Water Avenue.
