Join the virtual Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee on March 5-7

SELMA, Ala. — On “Bloody Sunday,” March 7, 1965, then-25-year-old activist John Lewis led more than 500 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. They faced brutal attacks by state troopers, and footage of the violence collectively shocked the nation. Two weeks later, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and 3,200 civil rights protesters marched the 49 miles from Selma to the state capital, Montgomery — an event that galvanized support for Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act.

Every year on the first weekend in March, the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee commemorates both the bloody confrontation at the Pettus Bridge and the march from Selma to Montgomery that followed. Events include a parade, a Miss Jubilee Pageant, a mock trial, and a commemorative march to the bridge.

If you’ve never had the opportunity to attend “The Jubilee,” the largest annual civil rights event in the nation, this year is your chance!

The Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee will be held virtually March 5-7 as participants honor the past, examine the present, and look forward to the future of the fight for equity and justice. General admission is free. Click here to register and get more details.

Some of the highlights will include:

• Special appearances by legendary civil rights leaders, including Ambassador Andrew Young and Dolores Huerta
• A tribute to the late Congressman John Lewis
• Powerful stories of Foot Soldiers in the movement, in their own words
• Step Show and Battle of the Bands Competitions
• A soul-stirring Gospel Concert
• Virtual Music and Film Festivals
• The Virtual Crossing Reenactment across the Edmund Pettus Bridge,
• And so much more!

Here are some excerpts from President Barack Obama’s speech at the 2015 Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma.