If you're following on Facebook, you probably figured out we were in Selma, Alabama, on our way to South Carolina. The pictures are undeniable. The Edmund Pettus Bridge is a civil rights icon. Completely by coincidence, we were here on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, 7 March.
In 1965, 56 years to the day, a nonviolent voter registration protest was met by police in riot gear refusing to let them cross the Edmund Pettus bridge. They were savagely beaten. We have all seen pictures and videos. I grew up watching the civil rights movement unfold on television, from the relative safety of Whidbey Island, Washington. I remember at 9 or 10 years old thinking, why can't these people just get along, not completely understanding the situation.
It was a powerful thing to see what people had to go through to gain the vote. They were often killed trying to exercise their right to vote, which many people just take for granted. It is a reminder that these new voter suppression measures are coming from the same place. We always must be on guard for this type of oppression in whatever form it takes.From here, we are off to Hunter Islands and a few days at the beach with the grandkids.
In 1965, 56 years to the day, a nonviolent voter registration protest was met by police in riot gear refusing to let them cross the Edmund Pettus bridge. They were savagely beaten. We have all seen pictures and videos. I grew up watching the civil rights movement unfold on television, from the relative safety of Whidbey Island, Washington. I remember at 9 or 10 years old thinking, why can't these people just get along, not completely understanding the situation. 
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