鈥楪ood Trouble鈥�: 人兽性交 joins voting rights marchers in Selma, Alabama, for 鈥楤loody Sunday鈥� commemoration
Crossing the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge in downtown Selma, Alabama, this week, the woman with the bullhorn shouted: 鈥淪how me what democracy looks like!鈥�
鈥�This is what democracy looks like!鈥� answered back a crowd of thousands taking part in the annual event that commemorates the anniversary of on March 7, 1965.
On that day in history, voting rights activists led by the late congressman John Lewis were brutally beaten by white state troopers and sheriff鈥檚 deputies, some on horseback, as they tried to cross the bridge on a march to Montgomery to demand voting rights for Black people.
The marchers were turned back that day. But the violence outraged the nation and thousands of activists poured into Selma to join the campaign, culminating in the completion of the 54-mile march at the steps of the Alabama Capitol 18 days later and the eventual passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
As the nation commemorates the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday this week, activists are fighting a slew of voter suppression proposals making their way through state legislatures.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has joined that fight through litigation, advocacy and support for grassroots organizations that work to protect the right to vote.
Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the 人兽性交, led a group of 人兽性交 staffers who participated in the Jubilee and joined the march on Sunday.
鈥淭he 人兽性交 has joined this Jubilee for many, many years, but this year it feels more potent, more important than ever,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he attacks on our voting rights 鈥� make this march so much more meaningful this year. There are many people in the political arena who are worried about retaining power, and I think they see the country is changing. They see communities of color turning out [to vote] in new and exciting ways, as well as young people, so their instinctive response is to shut it down to protect their political future.鈥�
鈥楾he ongoing struggle鈥�
As people mobilized to cross the bridge, the sound of drums echoed down the street. Many people carried banners featuring John Lewis with the slogan, 鈥淧rotect Our Vote.鈥�
Huang wore a T-shirt that simply stated, 鈥淕ood Trouble,鈥� referencing Lewis鈥� to get into 鈥済ood trouble, necessary trouble.鈥澛�
Jerome Dees, the 人兽性交鈥檚 Alabama policy director, was among the 人兽性交 staffers who attended the Jubilee.
鈥淭his march is important because it is an annual reminder for us of what we鈥檙e constantly fighting for,鈥� Dees said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e facing an onslaught of voter suppression legislation, but we can鈥檛 rest on the laurels of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The march signifies the ongoing struggle and steps we need to take to ensure democracy is preserved for Alabamians and all Americans. We鈥檙e seeing a dedicated attack on stripping voting access primarily from minorities, so this event reminds us that the fight for the right to vote is still firmly in place.鈥�
Since the gutting of the Voting Rights Act in the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚聽 decision in 2013, Alabama legislators and officials have employed various tactics to suppress the vote, such as purging eligible voters from the rolls and implementing photo identification laws. These measures have made it increasingly harder for people in Alabama to register to vote and cast a ballot.
In 2017, Alabama passed the , which helped clarify state policies for restoring voting rights to people with felony convictions. The law re-enfranchised many, but Alabama still disenfranchises thousands of people who owe fines, fees and restitution, or who are on probation and parole. The state also requires that eligible voters with convictions complete an additional application process to exercise their voting rights.
And across Southern states, bills like in Alabama have the potential to make the right to protest a criminal act, stripping Americans of their First Amendment rights.
鈥淭he 人兽性交 is here because we think this is a very important moment,鈥� said Brock Boone, a senior staff attorney with the 人兽性交. 鈥淭his is an important moment today, like it is every year, to remember Bloody Sunday. Today, not only are voting rights under attack, but the right to protest is at stake, so if there is ever a time we should be protesting or standing up for voting rights, this is the time.鈥�
The day was wrapped in an aura of excitement as a diverse crowd of demonstrators held signs with slogans that included 鈥淢uslims for Black Lives,鈥� 鈥淗indus for Black Lives鈥� and 鈥淏lack Voters Matter.鈥�
In support of Black lives and the right to vote, the 人兽性交鈥檚 Patrick Martin, education coordinator for the Civil Rights Memorial Center, wore a shirt reading, 鈥淲hite Silence is Violence.鈥�
鈥淭he whole point of having white privilege is being able to acknowledge it and use that as a voice for people that are often marginalized,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淗aving that privilege and not using it is really adding to the effects of systematic racism in the U.S., and we should use our voice to make a difference, like we are today.鈥�
鈥楽till in a fight鈥�
Before the march began, speakers including Vice President Kamala Harris, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton addressed the political climate around voting rights.
鈥淭oday, we stand on this bridge at a different time,鈥� . 鈥淲e again, however, find ourselves caught in between. Between injustice and justice. Between disappointment and determination. Still in a fight to form a more perfect union, and nowhere is that more clear than when it comes to the ongoing fight to secure the freedom to vote.鈥�
At one point, the crowd began singing, 鈥淲e Shall Not Be Moved,鈥� an anthem of the civil rights movement, before voting rights leader , co-chair of the Poor People鈥檚 Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, declared, 鈥淪elma was not about a day but about a movement.鈥�
Huang said she hopes the energy and passion of the day will carry forward as activists battle voter suppression and racial gerrymandering.
鈥淭his is about making the change that we need happen sooner and with greater support from all of us,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e need people to recognize both their responsibility and their right to vote. Events like today鈥檚 really help remind people why that right is so valuable and what it means.鈥�
Huang said the 人兽性交 remains committed to fighting for ballot access in the courts and state legislatures.
鈥淲e are bringing allies and partners to the table, and we鈥檙e monitoring the way that white supremacists and white nationalists are invading our political space. We are working hard to make sure that their hate doesn鈥檛 affect elections,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he truth is, we are seeing a real growth in the political power of communities of color who are multiracial, multi-religious, multi-ethnic. This collective growth means that political dynamics are changing.
鈥淲hite supremacy has always been about ensuring the white population stays in power, stays on top. And that is going to change in the future if we all work together.鈥�
Top picture: The crowd makes its way across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, during the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee event on Sunday, March 6, 2022, to commemorate the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. (Credit: Liz Vinson)
