My friend Jim Stubbs and I drove down Friday, March 6, to see how things were shaping up for the massive celebrations planned for the next day, honoring the 50th anniversary of those who marched.
Let’s not forget what they were marching for — voting rights. Today, with laws throughout the country being put in force to (let’s call it what it is) keep minorities from voting, the cause seems more relevant than ever.
The exhibit of Spider Martin’s photography shows not only his excellence and courage, but also the power of images to jar a sluggish nation to action in the name of justice. This is just a shaky phone pic of a picture (taken with permission) and is no substitute for the real thing. I encourage you to visit the exhibit, which will continue after the 50th anniversary celebrations. The Spider Martin Retrospective will be at the Carneal Building, 3 Church Street, Selma, AL from February 7 until March 28.
The National Voting Rights Museum looks great in its new home on the other side of the bridge.
It was a personally moving experience to walk across the bridge with these kids from Montgomery, as they sang “Ain’t Nobody Gonna Turn Me ‘Round”
The newsroom was already full, even before the President and the Democratic congressional leaders arrived. For reasons that escape me, Republican leaders boycotted this event.
Unlike Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile, little Selma still has a daily newspaper. The newspaper’s editor made a courageous decision in the wake of the Bloody Sunday violence a half century ago to begin telling the truth about what was happening there.
Seemed only right for my friend Jim Stubbs to be pictured in front of Edmund Pettus Bridge.
