Hoyer Statement on the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march on March 7, 1965, also known as “Bloody Sunday”:

“This weekend we mark the 50th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday,’ when on March 7, 1965, a determined group of Civil Rights activists set out from Selma on a march to the State Capitol in Montgomery to demand the right to register and to vote. 

“They only made it as far as the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where they were confronted and attacked by state troopers and armed vigilantes.  Many were badly injured, and my friend Rep. John Lewis was beaten nearly to death. 

“The events of that day shocked the conscience of the nation.   Two weeks later the marchers, this time protected by the National Guard, and joined by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and activists from across the country and from every walk of life, completed the march to Montgomery and called on America to live up to the full promise of its democracy. 

“Each year on the anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ I am honored to participate in the bipartisan pilgrimage to Selma and Montgomery led by Rep. Lewis, and I am moved by the stories and the courage of those who marched in 1965 and have continued to fight for Civil Rights and the equal right to vote ever since.  The landmark Voting Rights Act was enacted into law later that same year, in part due to the heroic actions of the Selma marchers.  As we pay tribute to them this weekend, let us walk in their footsteps by restoring the full protections of the Voting Rights Act, which was weakened by the Supreme Court in 2013. 

“I am proud to have joined Rep. John Lewis, Ranking Member John Conyers, and Republican Judiciary Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner earlier this year to reintroduce the Voting Rights Amendments Act in order to put the full power of the landmark 1965 law back into effect and update it to reflect the challenges of our day.  The right to vote must always be sacrosanct in America, and I hope Democrats and Republicans can work together to honor the heroes of Selma by bringing this bill swiftly to the Floor and passing it.  In doing so, we can reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that all Americans’ voices can be heard in our democracy.”