Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the city. The Montgomery Area Transit System ( www.montgomerytransit.com ; tickets $1)
operates the infamous city buses.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Selma
On Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965, the media captured state troopers and deputies beat-
ing and gassing African Americans and white sympathizers near the Edmund Pettus
Bridge (Broad St & Walter Ave) . The crowd was marching to the state capital (Montgomery)
to demonstrate against the murder of a local black activist by police, during a demonstra-
tion for voting rights. When the scene was broadcast on every network later that night, it
marked one of the first times Americans outside the South had witnessed the horrifying
images of the struggle. Shock and outrage was widespread, and support for the move-
ment grew. Martin Luther King arrived swiftly to Selma and after another aborted at-
tempt due to the threat of violence, helped lead what became 8000 people on a four-day,
54 mile march to Montgomery, culminating with a classic King speech on the capitol
steps. Soon after, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Selma's story is told at the National Voting Rights Museum ( 334-327-8218;
www.nvrm.org ; 1012 Water Ave; adult/senior & student $6/4; 10am-4pm Mon-Thu) , near the
Edmund Pettus Bridge, and in more detail at the Lowndes County Interpretive Center
( www.nps.gov/semo ; 7002 US Hwy 80; 9am-4:30pm) halfway between Selma and Mont-
gomery. Oddly, as we are writing this, the US Supreme Court has ruled that the Voting
Rights Act is unconstitutional - a controversial decision that has cut down party lines.
The passage of that federal law was the key to victory during this phase of the Civil
Rights movement. The ramifications of the decision are still unclear, though many ob-
servers fear it could potentially make access to the polls more difficult. Some states, like
Florida, have been plagued by accusations of racial discrimination when it comes to vot-
ing rights.
ECHOES OF A KING
After the long march from Selma to Montgomery on March 25, 1965, Dr Martin
Luther King Jr gave his speech 'Our God is Marching On!' on the steps of the state
capitol. Here are some highlights:
There never was a moment in American history more honorable and more inspir-
ing than the pilgrimage of clergymen and laymen of every race and faith pouring in-
to Selma to face danger at the side of its embattled Negroes.
 
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