111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 249 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Whereas brave people in the United States, known and un-
known, of different races, ethnicities, and religions, 
risked their lives to stand for political equality and 
against racial discrimination in a quest culminating in 
the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; 
Whereas numerous people in the United States paid the ulti-
mate 
price 
in 
pursuit 
of 
that 
quest, 
while
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demanding that the Nation live up to the guarantees en-
shrined in the 14th and 15th Amendments to the United 
States Constitution; 
Whereas the historic struggle for equal voting rights led non-
violent civil rights marchers to gather on the Edmund 
Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, a 
day that would come to be known as ‘‘Bloody Sunday’’, 
where their bravery was tested by a brutal response, 
which in turn sent a clarion call to the Nation that the 
fulfillment of democratic ideals could no longer be denied; 
Whereas, March 7, 2010, marks the 45th anniversary of 
Bloody Sunday, the day on which some 600 civil rights 
marchers were demonstrating for African-American vot-
ing rights; 
Whereas Congressman John Lewis and the late Hosea Wil-
liams led these marchers across the Edmund Pettus 
Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where they were attacked 
with billy clubs and tear gas by State and local lawmen; 
Whereas during the march on Bloody Sunday, Congressman 
Lewis was beaten unconscious, leaving him with a con-
cussion and countless other injuries; 
Whereas footage of the events on Bloody Sunday was broad-
cast on national television that night and burned its way 
into the Nation’s conscience; 
Whereas the courage, discipline, and sacrifice of these march-
ers caused the Nation to respond quickly and positively; 
Whereas eight days after Bloody Sunday, President Lyndon 
B. Johnson called for a comprehensive and effective vot-
ing rights bill as a necessary response by Congress and 
the President to the interference and violence, in violation 
of the 14th and 15th Amendments, encountered by Afri-
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can-American citizens when attempting to protect and ex-
ercise the right to vote; 
Whereas a bipartisan Congress approved the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965 and on August 6, 1965, President Lyndon 
B. Johnson signed this landmark legislation into law; 
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 stands as a tribute 
to the heroism of countless people in the United States 
and serves as one of the Nation’s most important civil 
rights victories, enabling political empowerment and voter 
enfranchisement for all people in the United States; 
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 effectuates the per-
manent guarantee of the 15th Amendment that ‘‘the 
right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be 
denied or abridged by the United States or by any State 
on account of race, color, or previous condition of ser-
vitude’’; 
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has increased voter 
registration among racial, ethnic, and language minori-
ties, as well as enhanced the ability of those citizens to 
participate in the political process and elect representa-
tives of their choice to public office; and 
Whereas the citizens of the United States must not only re-
member this historic event, but also commemorate its 
role in the creation of a more just society and appreciate 
the ways in which it has inspired other movements 
around the world: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) commemorates the 45th anniversary of 
Bloody Sunday;
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(2) observes and celebrates the 45th anniver-
sary of the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 
1965; 
(3) pledges to advance the legacy of the Voting 
Rights Act of 1965 to ensure its continued effective-
ness in protecting the voting rights of all people in 
the United States; and 
(4) encourages all people in the United States 
to reflect upon the sacrifices of the Bloody Sunday 
marchers and acknowledge that their sacrifice made 
possible the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 
1965. 
Passed the House of Representatives March 10, 
2010. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 249 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Commemorating the 45th anniversary of Bloody 
Sunday and the role that it played in ensuring 
the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.