Today in Tha Wire we honor those who marched for our right to vote.  Saturday March 7 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
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Taking place this Saturday March 7, thousands, including President Barack Obama, Cicely Tyson, Harry Belafonte, Oprah Winfrey and more will come out to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.  The 1965 march was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) for the sole effort to fight for the right of African Americans to be able to register to vote here in the South.

Even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made discrimination in voting a crime, black voters still faced major difficulty going to the polls or even getting registered to vote.  It was this that inspired more than 600 people to take the 54 mile Freedom March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.  Dr. King and protesters were on a mission to hand deliver a petition to Governor George Wallace, demanding African Americans the right to vote.  As they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, named after a Confederate general and former Ku Klux Klan leader, they were met with a violent resistance from both state and local authorities.  

The peaceful protesters were brutality beaten, some even lost their lives.  In all more than 50 people sustained serious to severe injury's.  The brutal scene, now known as Bloody Sunday, was captured on TV and enraged Americans across the country, drawing ordinary people, civil rights and religious leaders of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds to Selma in protest.  This sparked the King's second attempt to march to Montgomery on March 9.  But once again he and the protesters were turned around when state troopers blocked the road. Two people were killed on that day.

Dr. King and the many protesters were not going to give up and organized another march. This time the marchers were protected by a U.S. district court judges decision and the National Guard.  President Lyndon Johnson also backed them, addressing the nation on TV pledging his support of the march.  On March 21 more than 2000 strong, after walking for 12 hours and sometimes sleeping on the road and in fields, the protesters made it to Montgomery. It's because of their struggle and bravery that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed later that year.

It's also because of them that we now enjoy the right and opportunity to vote.  As we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of this historic moment in time, several events will take place over the weekend.  President Barack Obama will deliver a speech and there will be a few concerts as well, including a “Self Destruction” set featuring Hip Hop and R&B's finest like Doug E. Fresh, MC Lyte, Bel Biv Devoe and more.

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If you can't make the anniversary celebration, you can still honor those who paved the way for you to enjoy the many freedoms that you do today.  Make sure you and your family are registered to vote and on election day, exercise that right.

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