56th Anniversary of Selma Bridge Crossing and Bloody Sunday

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March 7, 1965, when civil rights leader John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Reverend Hosea Williams of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) led about 600 people on a march for voting rights, across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a bridge across the Selma River that was named—and still bears the name—for an general in the Confederate Army and a Grand Dragon in the KKK.

That day became known as Bloody Sunday because these 600 peaceful marchers were met with a vicious attack by police in riot gear with batons and tear gas. “I really felt that I saw death at that moment,” wrote John Lewis, who suffered a skull fracture that day.

On this 56th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, we remember and honor ALL the civil rights activists who marched in the three Selma to Montgomery marches on March 7th, March 9th, and March 21st, and achieved the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

We strive to be inclusive in our memory of history, and in our work to build a just future, and give particular attention and honor to two civil rights leaders who are often unnamed:

Bayard Rustin, who led the March on Washington in 1963, and was a friend and trusted adviser to Martin Luther King Jr, was considered to be Chairman of the Selma March. John Lewis later said in press interviews that he had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach when civil rights activists opted against choosing Bayard Rustin because he was gay and considered a liability.

L to R: Viola Liuzzo with her child; Viola Liuzza; and civil rights workers conduct a memorial at the site of Viola’s murder. Photos: Detroit News archives.

And one day ahead of International Women’s Day, we remember and honor Viola Liuzzo, a 39 year old white mother who drove from Detroit to Alabama in 1965, in the wake of Bloody Sunday, to march with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in Selma. She helped with logistics and participated in the marches, and then on March 25th, as she was driving fellow protesters to the Montgomery airport, she was shot dead by members of the KKK.

Hindus for Human Rights was honored to serve on the organizing committee of this year’s Selma Bridge Crossing Commemoration (www.selmajubilee.com). HfHR Advisory Board Member Rajmohan Gandhi, and co-founders Raju and Sunita were speakers in the commemoration. Along with Indian American Muslim Council, we organized a Civil Rights Art and Essay Contest in order to encourage South Asian American youth to personally engage and connect with the civil rights history of this nation, and understand just how much all Americans owe to the civil rights movement and the many sacrifices that were made so that we can enjoy our rights to vote and to live with dignity. We will continue to serve the causes of anti-racism and civil rights, and connect our struggle for human rights in India with the struggle for human rights everywhere we see them denied.