WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) announced she will be in Selma, Alabama tomorrow to participate in the 50^th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march on March 7, 1965, also known as “Bloody Sunday.”  She released the following statement about the 1965 marches to secure voting rights and their significance for all Americans:

“Fifty years ago, 600 men and women began a peaceful march in Selma, Alabama to assert their full and equal right to participate in our democracy.  Their quest for equality and voting rights was met with violent suppression on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.  More than 50 people were hospitalized from the beatings they endured in what became known as ‘Bloody Sunday’.”

“The marchers were turned back that day, but they regrouped.  With unwavering determination, residents of Selma, civil rights activists and people from around the country completed a march two weeks later from Selma to Montgomery, the Alabama state capital.  Their heroic actions were instrumental in passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”

“On the 50^th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, I will stand with President Obama and a bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives and Senators to honor the legacy of those brave Americans, mindful that there is still much to be done to ensure their sacrifice was not in vain.”

"Congress must take action to remedy the void created by the Supreme Court decision to strike down Section IV of the Voting Rights Act.  I am a proud sponsor of the Voting Rights Amendment Act, which would restore and update essential voter protections.  As we observe this landmark event, let us recommit to rejecting intolerance and injustice in all forms, and resolve to protect the right of all Americans to vote.”

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