America Remembers "Bloody Sunday" On the Road to Voting Rights

Monday, March 7, 2011, marked the 46^th anniversary of the incident most often referred to in American civil rights history as ”Bloody Sunday.” This illustrative phrase reflects the consequence of vicious attacks perpetrated against peaceful civil rights activists once they crossed the Edmond Pettus Bridge during the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, that fateful Sunday. However, the event itself, more importantly, underscores what led to significant changes in the 15^th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States embodied in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The bill summary defines its purpose as, “An act to enforce the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes.”

This historic event was marked this week by a high profile political reenactment of that march. The 2011 march was again led by United States Representative John Lewis of Georgia (the principal organizer of the 1965 march), U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV), U.S. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (MD), U.S. House Assistant Minority Leader James Clyburn (SC), U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (TX), along with the Reverend Jesse Jackson to name a few. The commemoration was joined by Republican Governor of the state of Alabama Robert Bentley.

In 1965, approximately 600 demonstrators led by the Reverend Hosea Williams of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), along with a young John Lewis, then-president of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) who now serves as a Member of the United States House of Representatives, marched for the state capital building in Montgomery. Once the marchers crossed the Edmond Pettus Bridge, they were immediately met by Alabama state troopers who after trying to stop them began pushing the crowd back. A scuffle ensued and marchers were soon bombarded with teargas, pummeled by the police with their nightsticks, followed by an attack by police on horseback.

This event was nationally televised becoming front page news around the world. The horror of the moment served to backfire on those who were determined to prevent blacks from having equal voting rights. Instead, these deplorable scenes from one of the most embarrassing moments in American history only served to galvanize the civil rights community. The site of peaceful protestors being physically beaten and denied their right to peaceful assembly over the airwaves served as a call to action for many who determined that they could no longer sit on the sidelines. The horrors witnessed that day strengthened the political foundation of the movement, encouraging more reasonable minds to step forward and lend their voices and resources to finally change existing federal laws.

The result was passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This federal law among other things made two distinct changes. Most notably, the law eliminated literacy tests required of black voters during the registration phase. Secondly, designated “covered jurisdictions” (specific states with a history of discriminatory voting practices) could no longer make changes that impact election laws within those covered jurisdictions without approval from the United States Department of Justice.

Executive Vice President and leader of CWA’s Human Rights program Annie Hill reflects: “The struggle for civil rightsis personified by the brave efforts of thousands who in marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, left an indelible mark on the conscience of our society and provided a foundation for oppressed people around the globe to fight for freedom. Thousands ― diverse, young and old, risked their lives for those whom they would never meet and helped bring the vestiges of Jim Crow to its knees. In retrospect, their actions served as the catalyst for permanent change at the ballot box and throughout communities across this nation.”

As CWA members today continue their work to build a political movement, we are reminded of the struggles of those who risked it all to build a foundation. Through our efforts to protect collective bargaining, promote greater solidarity through our Human Rights Program, and build a union that supports the rights of all workers, we lay the groundwork for a better tomorrow for workers and their families everywhere. For more information about this article or any other facet of CWA’s Human Rights Program, please contact Alfonso M. Pollard, Director of Politics and Human Rights, at 202-434-1315 or apollard@cwa-union.org.