Marchers Rest at City of St. Jude
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50 years ago, the city of St. Jude played host to marchers, volunteers and performers the night before the final leg of the Selma to Montgomery march. And Tuesday, St. Jude was used again for that same purpose. People from all over the country are re-enacting the march, retracing the footsteps of those who fought for equal rights in 1965.
“I came all the way from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Alabama to symbolically say thank you to those matriarchs and patriarchs 50 years ago that did this,” said Alex Erdmann.
Marchers have completed 51 miles so far and they battled varying weather conditions along the way.
“It was a few days of raining but it was one of those moments where…they endured the rain so why can’t you endure the rain,” said Taurean Merriweather of Chicago, Illinois. “It’s something that just kept you motivated and kept you going.”
The marchers are able to eat and sleep at the St. Jude gymnasium before completing the stretch on Wednesday. Natasha Cruz of Houston, Texas tells us the experience has been moving.
“My mind kind of goes everywhere from being extremely reflective, humbled and emotional about this experience and then sometimes we’re just having fun, singing songs, being goofy. But I think it adds to the experience.”
Others, like Lamar Butler, say the experience has been a spiritual awakening of sorts.
“There is no doubt in my mind that I’ve changed since I’ve come here and now I’m going to go out into the world and cause change as well.”
The National Parks Service is putting on the walking classroom.
