Marchers returned to Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when a group of 600 protesters, led by John Lewis, crossed the Edmond Pettus Bridge only to be beaten by police officers.
President Joe Biden was the keynote speaker. Biden has been to the event as a senator and vice president of the United States in previous years. This year’s message acknowledged the violence of the past and some of the issues Biden would like to focus on now — including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021. HBCUs, having the second-lowest Black unemployment rate in American history, appointing Black women to positions of power and the current state of Selma after a recent storm were also mentioned in his speech.
“In January, I signed the Electoral Count Reform Act to protect the will of the people and the peaceful transfer of power,” Biden said, “but we know that we must get the votes in Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.”
After Biden’s address, talk-show host Reginal Drummer, of Albany, Georgia; and Boy Scouts of America Birmingham’s Robert Young spoke with rolling out about making the annual trip to Selma and Biden’s address.
What did you think of President Biden’s address?
Reginal Drummer: I think it was uplifting. It was tolerable. … We have to keep him on the fire. There are a lot of things he’s done, and there are a lot of complications that prevent him from doing certain things. The George Floyd bill, the voter rights bill, all this stuff was there, but we need collaboration in the House and the Senate. Once we understand how politics work, we can understand why we need to vote.
Robert Young: This is a good step in the right direction. His acknowledgment of some things that have happened in the past. At the same time, he’s shown he’s dedicated to helping to rebuild the city from the storm that happened last month. I think it was positive, it gives a lot of people hope that things are going in a positive direction.
Why do you keep coming back to Selma after 20-plus years?
RD: We call it a pilgrimage … sometimes, you [might] say, “We just come down and do the same thing over and over again.” But it’s just like when Christians go to Israel. … You should pay homage to the ancestors. This is something you do.
In two years, we’ll be doing the [60th] anniversary [of Bloody Sunday], and I hope to [be in Selma] all four or five days. I’m going to make it a whole vacation. I think every Black person should do a trip at least once to Selma. It’s a pilgrimage.
