President Joe Biden renewed his appeal for new voting rights in remarks in Selma, Alabama, on the 58th anniversary of the historic “Bloody Sunday” march, which galvanised the civil rights movement and aided in the expansion of voting rights.
“The right to vote, the right to have your vote counted, is the threshold of democracy and liberty,” Biden stated beside the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where a group of civil rights marchers were pummelling by White state police as they attempted to pass on March 7, 1965.
“This fundamental freedom is still under attack. Over the years, the conservative Supreme Court has weakened the Voting Rights Act. Since the 2020 election, a wave of states has passed dozens upon dozens of anti-voting laws, inspired by the big lie,” he added, referring to the bogus assertion that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
Biden’s visit to Selma came as he and other Democrats attempted to enact their own massive voting rights legislation, with little chance of success in a newly Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
“We know we need the votes in Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act,” the president added, referring to a bill named for the late Georgia congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis. “I’ve made it clear: I will not let a filibuster hinder the sacred right to vote.”
On Bloody Sunday, 600 people launched a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, demanding an end to voter registration discrimination. State and municipal law enforcement attacked demonstrators with billy clubs and tear gas at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Seventeen individuals were hospitalised, and police injured scores more. The actions aroused indignation across the country and helped galvanise support for the Voting Rights Act. Lewis was one of the protesters that were beaten that day.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, House Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn of South Carolina, and Alabama Rep. Terri Sewell, who represents Selma, were among those who joined Biden in Selma on Sunday.
Despite predictions that Biden will declare a reelection bid this year, his remarks in Selma had the flavour of a campaign speech, as he ran through what he perceived as his administration’s accomplishments and closed with what many consider to be a potential 2024 slogan: “Let’s finish the work.”
“This is my message to you: We see you. We’re working hard to ensure that no one is left behind. “This is a time of decision, and we need everyone involved,” Biden added. “Therefore let us pray, but let us not sleep. Let us continue moving. Let us not lose hope. Above all, let us remember who we are. We’re the United States of America, and nothing, nothing, can stop us when we work together.”
Later, the president took part in the yearly walk over the Edmund Pettus Bridge to memorialise the events of Bloody Sunday.
‘There is work to be done.’
Apart from its historical significance, Selma is also recovering from two months of devastating tornadoes.
“We realise there’s work to be done,” Biden added in his speech, referring to the major disaster proclamation he issued.
This was not Biden’s first visit to the Selma anniversary celebrations; during his presidential campaign in 2020, he spoke to the historic Brown Chapel AME Church in order to court Black voters ahead of Super Tuesday.
“We’ve been dragged backwards and lost ground. “We’ve seen all too plainly that if you give hate any breathing room, it returns,” he remarked at the time in his speech.
Biden would go on to win the Democratic nominee and the presidency, thanks in large part to Black Americans’ support.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris, who represented the administration at the anniversary event last year, said, “America has seen a new assault on the freedom to vote.”
“Extremists have attempted to destroy the voting protections that generations of civil rights leaders and campaigners fought painstakingly to obtain. They’ve removed voters from the rolls. Polling stations have been closed. “They’ve made it a criminal to give people in line water,” she explained.