Selma's Legacy: Fighting for Equality

0:00In Birmingham, it's March 14th. Here's what is happening. Thousands of people gathered in Selma, Alabama this month for the annual bridge crossing, Jubilee. They walked across the Edmund Pettis Bridge to honor the 1965 Voting Rights Marches, especially Bloody Sunday on March 7th. That brutal attack on peaceful protesters shocked the nation and paved the way for the Voting Rights Act later that year. This year's event ran from March 5th to 8th and included tributes to several civil rights icons who passed away recently. Among them were Joanne Bland, the youngest person jailed in those demonstrations and co-founder of a local education center. Organizers also remembered Bernard Lafayette, who led voter registration efforts, Shirley Floyd, a flag bear in later marches and Reverend Jesse, Jackson Sr. Attendee shared stories of the era's courage and how Selma sparked broader change for black Americans and democracy overall. Foot soldiers from Bloody Sunday called the city the birthplace of true equality under the law, planting a seed that still grows today.

1:04Speakers urged keeping the momentum alive beyond the bridgewalk. They highlighted ongoing fights for voting access, education fairness, justice reform, and economic chances in communities nationwide. Younger voices like U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost, the first generation Z member of Congress, stressed passing the torch. He said it's up to current leaders to step up and protect those hard-won rights every day. A message from our sponsor supports today's story. If sleep podcasts are your thing, this is your pillow. Built for comfort and calm, S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com