Читать книгу Freedom Facts and Firsts - Jessie Carney Smith - Страница 56

March 7, 1965, was called “Bloody Sunday” because of the violence directed toward civil rights demonstrators during an attempted march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, on that date. The purpose of the march was to protest against police brutality and the denial of voting rights; it was a continuation of earlier civil rights efforts in the Selma area that began in 1963. Participants included key leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, such as John Lewis and Hosea Williams, as well as many unsung heroes from the local community and outside supporters. Martin Luther King Jr. had been in the Selma area on several previous occasions, enduring arrest and physical as well as verbal attacks, including death threats. His decision not to participate in the march created some confusion, disagreement, and resentment among other activists, but King had delegated Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) representation and leadership to aides Andrew Young, James Bevel, and Williams. Lewis was the chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), but his decision to participate was personal, as his SNCC colleagues had also decided not to support the march.

The black community in Selma intended to move forward with or without the presence of King and other more high-profile leaders. Lewis, a native of the state, felt he needed to show solidarity with fellow Alabamians and others involved in the effort. Alabama white leaders, including Governor George Wallace, Alabama Public Safety Director Al Lingo, Selma Mayor Jimmy Smitherman, Selma Public Safety Director Wilson Baker, and Dallas County Sheriff Jim Clark, were committed to preventing the march from being successful. An injunction was issued by Wallace in support of efforts to stop the march.

When the approximately 600 marchers left Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, they were met at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge by a large group of Alabama state troopers, many on horseback and wearing gas masks. They were joined by other groups of whites whom Clark had “deputized,” some bearing large clubs and waving Confederate flags. A group of news reporters, photographers, and cameramen, as well as a small group of blacks, were also present to observe the event.

Williams and Lewis stopped the marchers and were told by Major John Cloud that their assembly was unlawful, so they would have to disperse. Before instructions could be given to the marchers, Cloud issued a command for the troopers to advance, attacking the demonstrators with clubs and tear gas. Lewis was among many who were wounded as a result of the attack, which continued as the marchers retreated in the direction of the church. The violence was recorded by the media, and the resulting international news coverage led to the overturning of Wallace’s ban by a federal judge and a successful march led by King two weeks later.

Fletcher F. Moon