60th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ draws thousands to recreate march for voting rights

SELMA, Ala. (WIAT) — It’s been 60 years since 600 people crossed the Edmund Pettus bridge to advocate for voting rights.

Thousands made that same march on Sunday to keep the message alive and advocate for new causes.

Sunday’s march was much different than the one that Richard Bland walked in six decades ago. Bland was a foot soldier – he marched alongside Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I don’t see the guns and stuff that you did sixty years ago,” Bland said. “I like what I see today. Bigger crowd, 60 years later.”

Bland’s actions and his presence were felt throughout the event.

Congressman Shomari Figures says Bland and the other original marchers’ efforts provided the opportunity for someone like him to be elected.

“I get to go to Washington DC because of them, a kid who wasn’t even born or thought of at that time. So, to be able to be there today, to see those people who put their lives on the line, literally, for me to be able to have an opportunity today, is really motivating,” Figures said.

Figures is not the only one who is motivated by the foot soldiers and the thousands of others who came out to march. Diane Steele brought a group of children with her to make sure the history this event represents gets passed onto the next generation.

“We want them to see real life experiences, people, and feeling the history, feeling the emotions that are in this space, we believe this will cause our children to have more civic awareness, when they turn 18, they are rearing to go vote,” Steele explained.

 Representative Figures says he will take the energy from Sunday’s march with him back to Washington.