FILE – Then-Vice President Joe Biden, center, leads a group across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., Sunday, March 3, 2013. From left: Selma Mayor George Evans, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., Rev. Jesse Jackson, Biden, Rev. Al Sharpton and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) Today is the 56th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, when…
Photo of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia) and U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Alabama) on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma – Photo from Office of U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-Alabama) is remembering Bloody Sunday, which took place in Selma on March 7, 1965. She has released this statement: “Today, we commemorate the 56th Anniversary of…
Alabama News Network is covering the life and work of Rep. John Lewis. He died Friday, July 17 at the age of 80. His service is being remembered across Alabama. Here is a complete look at recent stories we have on him. We will be adding to this list in the coming days: EVENTS: List of local events to…
Mourning the death of civil rights hero John Lewis, Democrats in Congress are urging the Senate to take up a bill of enduring importance to Lewis throughout his life: protecting and expanding the right to vote. “No right is more precious to our citizenship than the right of all Americans to be able to vote,” said Rep. Terri Sewell, (D-Alabama),…
It was 55 years ago on March 25th, 1965 when a group of 40 thousand protesters arrived in Montgomery after completing the Selma to Montgomery March. On Wednesday ,a group from Alabama State University placed a wreath at the exact spot where the historic 1965 Selma to Montgomery March held its successful conclusion, when the marchers reached the Alabama State Capitol…
The Selma to Montgomery March was a turning point in the fight for civil rights. On March 7th 1965, a group of 600 people began the march from Selma to Montgomery. Marchers were protesting voter discrimination against black citizens. The peaceful protesters were met by attack dogs, fire hoses, and police batons on the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma. Images…
The Alabama Shakespeare Festival held a panel discussion Saturday in downtown Montgomery– focusing on people who are working for change in the Montgomery community. The discussion was made up of city and community leaders and was inspired by ASF’s current play called the Agitators. The play tells the story of Susan B. Anthony and Fredrick Douglass, and how they sparked…
Chants of “No Justice, No Peace” rang out in downtown Selma Sunday, as marchers refused to let the stormy weather impact the annual Jubilee Bridge Crossing festivities. Thousands took part in this year’s Bridge Crossing Re-Enactment, painting a picture of what it like on Bloody Sunday in 1965. “My great-grandmother marched with Dr. King in 1965, across the Edmund Pettus…
A U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2013 did away with the requirement that the U.S. Justice Department approve any election law changes in Alabama and other mostly Southern States that had a history of preventing minority voters from casting ballots. Now the very first bill introduced in the newly Democratic majority U.S. House would restore that Voting Rights Act….
The Southern Poverty Law Center is asking Alabama to restore thousands of people to active voter status after election day confusion. In a Friday letter to Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, the organization said it believes large numbers were incorrectly moved to inactive voting status during an update of rolls. SPLC President Richard Cohen said they are worried that…
