Associated Press: It won’t just be about history when crowds cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge this weekend and re-create the famous civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery — it will be about targeting Alabama’s toughest-in-the-nation immigration laws and its new voter ID requirements.
Demonstrators in 1965 were attacked on the bridge by police in what became known as “Bloody Sunday.” The violence helped spark passage of the federal Voting Rights Act eliminating racial discrimination at the polls.
Organizers expect thousands to participate today in the crossing of the Selma bridge for the 47th anniversary of the march. They say hundreds plan to make the 50-mile march between Selma and Montgomery over the next week.
“Instead of having a ceremonial thing, we’re going to have a protest. I can’t do any walking anymore, but I’m going to go to Montgomery if I have to crawl there,” said Annie Pearl Avery, 68, who was arrested during the original crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965.
Events will culminate with a rally Friday at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once served.
“We want to bring attention to what’s going on, especially with it being the celebration of the right to vote,” said Catrina Carter, regional coordinator with the 2012 Bridge Crossing Jubilee. “We want to bring attention to the fact that in the Southern states they are legislatively taking away those rights and putting up roadblocks.”
Alabama Laws
Alabama’s voter ID law, which won’t go into effect until 2014, will require citizens to present photo identification at the polls. The immigration law requires police to determine citizenship status during traffic stops and requires government offices to verify legal residency for transactions such as obtaining a car license, enrolling a child in school, getting a job or renewing a business license. Both were enacted last year.
Avery was working to register black voters in Alabama in 1965 when an Alabama State Trooper shot and killed civil rights protester Jimmie Lee Jackson, prompting the first Selma to Montgomery march.
“We really didn’t know that we were trapped,” said Avery. “All they had to do was arrest us, but they beat us and terrified us.”
Avery said people have grown complacent since the Voting Rights Act was passed, allowing new restrictive laws to be passed.
The organizers say voter ID laws, such as those enacted in 15 states requiring photo identification at polling places, could disenfranchise about 5 million voters — mostly the poor and minorities.
The Alabama law’s sponsor disagreed, saying its intent is to cut down on fraudulent voting.
“I want people that go and vote to make sure they’re the person they say they are,” said Republican state Rep. Kerry Rich.
Demonstrators in 1965 were attacked on the bridge by police in what became known as “Bloody Sunday.” The violence helped spark passage of the federal Voting Rights Act eliminating racial discrimination at the polls.
Organizers expect thousands to participate today in the crossing of the Selma bridge for the 47th anniversary of the march. They say hundreds plan to make the 50-mile march between Selma and Montgomery over the next week.
“Instead of having a ceremonial thing, we’re going to have a protest. I can’t do any walking anymore, but I’m going to go to Montgomery if I have to crawl there,” said Annie Pearl Avery, 68, who was arrested during the original crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965.
Events will culminate with a rally Friday at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once served.
“We want to bring attention to what’s going on, especially with it being the celebration of the right to vote,” said Catrina Carter, regional coordinator with the 2012 Bridge Crossing Jubilee. “We want to bring attention to the fact that in the Southern states they are legislatively taking away those rights and putting up roadblocks.”
Alabama Laws
Alabama’s voter ID law, which won’t go into effect until 2014, will require citizens to present photo identification at the polls. The immigration law requires police to determine citizenship status during traffic stops and requires government offices to verify legal residency for transactions such as obtaining a car license, enrolling a child in school, getting a job or renewing a business license. Both were enacted last year.
Avery was working to register black voters in Alabama in 1965 when an Alabama State Trooper shot and killed civil rights protester Jimmie Lee Jackson, prompting the first Selma to Montgomery march.
“We really didn’t know that we were trapped,” said Avery. “All they had to do was arrest us, but they beat us and terrified us.”
Avery said people have grown complacent since the Voting Rights Act was passed, allowing new restrictive laws to be passed.
The organizers say voter ID laws, such as those enacted in 15 states requiring photo identification at polling places, could disenfranchise about 5 million voters — mostly the poor and minorities.
The Alabama law’s sponsor disagreed, saying its intent is to cut down on fraudulent voting.
“I want people that go and vote to make sure they’re the person they say they are,” said Republican state Rep. Kerry Rich.
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