Packed Service for Bloody Sunday at Selma’s Brown Chapel AME Church
[gtxvideo vid=”IyT4eOmE” playlist=”” pid=”XiOflQdH” thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/IyT4eOmE.jpg” vtitle=”Brown Chapel AME”]
Today’s events got started with a packed house at Brown Chapel AME Church. That’s where the Selma to Montgomery marches started, where foot soldiers met to plan key moments in the voting rights movement.
It’s where civil rights icons gathered to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Ssunday, saying the march–and fight to protect voting rights–is not over.
Rev. Al Sharpton gave the morning’s sermon. He took the time to speak about protecting the rights of many, including immigrants and same-sex couples. He also protested Alabama legislation on voting policies, taking direct aim at state legislators.
“Something hypocritical about standing up celebrating people who were beat and then go straight to Montgomery and make voter ID laws banning early voting and legislating stopping Sunday souls to the polls. Something hypocritical,” Sharpon said.
Rev. Jesse Jackson echoed that sentiment, speaking about the income disparity across the country.
“There’s a radical resegregation taking place in our society today, radical resegregation and therefore celestial hands be full as we fight that fight together,” Jackson said.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder also spoke to the crowd gathered in the church. The first African American to hold the office said the work for civil rights is far from over.
“We will march on until the self-evident truth of equality is made real for every American. We will march on until every citizen is afforded his or her fundamental right to vote. We will march on toward that bright horizon, and a day when every American, young or old, rich or poor, famous or unknown, no matter who they are, no matter where they’re from, no matter what they look like, no matter who they love, has equal share in the American dream,” said Holder.
That service included many more speakers, including clergy from across the country. The church also paid tribute to those who died in the fight for civil rights.
