Kamala Harris to Honor Bloody Sunday in Selma

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, a crucial event in the civil rights movement. Harris will deliver a speech at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where Black voting rights marchers faced violent attacks in 1965. The annual remembrance serves as a platform for politicians to emphasize the significance of voting rights and engage with Black voters.

Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Selma, Alabama, on Sunday, March 5, to commemorate the 59th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.

Remembering the Struggle for Voting Rights

Harris will deliver a speech as part of the annual remembrance of "Bloody Sunday" on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where, on March 7, 1965, white state troopers brutally attacked Black voting rights marchers attempting to cross. The shocking images of violence at the bridge, originally named for a Confederate general, galvanized support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act, which struck down barriers to voting for African-Americans and ended all-white rule in the American South.

Harris Continues the Tradition

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced Harris' upcoming visit during a briefing with reporters on Tuesday. Harris previously attended the remembrance in 2022, and President Joe Biden visited last year. Both used their past speeches to emphasize the significance of voting rights and denounce Republican-led efforts to undermine them.

A Political Pilgrimage

The annual commemoration in Selma has become a customary stop for politicians to pay tribute to the fight for voting rights in America and to seek the support of Black voters during election years. During the 2020 election, Biden spoke at Selma's historic Brown Chapel AME Church hours after receiving strong support from Black voters in South Carolina, which propelled him to his first primary victory. Biden also visited Selma as vice president in 2013, while President Barack Obama spoke in Selma in 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1965 marches.