Date: 2012-03-01
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I might consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of House Resolution 562. which directs the Office of the Historian to compile and disseminate oral histories from current and former Members of the House of Representatives involved in the historic and annual SelmatoMontgomery. Alabama. marches. as well as the civil rights movement in general. In March of 1965. a defining 3week period of the civil rights movement culminated with a historic 54mile march from Selma to Montgomery. Led by the Reverend Martin Luther King. Jr.. it was the last of three marches that resulted in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 recognizing the right of all Americans to participate in the electoral process. On March 7. 1965. our colleague from Georgia. Mr. JOHN LEWIS. and the Reverend Hosea Williams led 600 civil rights activists in the first march from Selma to Montgomery to protest the shooting of Jimmie Lee Jackson. killed just a few weeks earlier by State troopers while doing nothing more than registering African Americans to vote. The march lasted only six blocks before coming to a violent end on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. In what has become known as Bloody Sunday. troopers used tear gas and clubs to beat the protesters back from the bridge. The upsetting. horrifying images of peaceful marchers being brutally assaulted by authorities brought national attention to the plight of African Americans in the South and greater resolve to those seeking equality for all. Two days later. the Reverend Martin Luther King. Jr.. led a second symbolic march where 2.000 participants returned to the Edmund Pettus Bridge and proceeded to kneel and pray. On March 21. this time with protection from Federal authorities and the Alabama National Guard. the Reverend Martin Luther King. Jr.. led a 54mile march to the State capitol building. Three days later. the group that started with 3.000 participants and grew to 25.000 strong. arrived in Montgomery. where Dr. King proclaimed: We are on the move now. Like an idea whose time has come. not even the marching of mighty armies can halt us. We are moving to the land of freedom. Mr. Speaker. the magnitude and importance of this historic event is undeniable. and its significance to American history must never be forgotten. To commemorate these marches. Congress in 1996 created the 54milelong Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail along the route of Dr. Kings march. starting at the Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma and ending at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery. Since 1998. Members of Congress have participated in an annual civil rights pilgrimage on the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. In March of 2009. I had the privilege of participating with my wife in this event. We marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. and we were inspired by those with firsthand experiences from the events of 1965. Documenting and sharing the experiences of Members who participated in historic and annual marches from Selma to Montgomery is critically important to the recognition and preservation of the achievements of the American civil rights movement. As I understand it. Mr. LEWIS from Georgia and the majority leader whip. Mr. MCCARTHY. will lead the 2012 congressional civil rights pilgrimage starting tomorrow. It is fitting that we are here today with this resolution as another group of Members begin their journey. I want to thank my colleagues from Alabama. Ms. SEWELL and Mrs. ROBY. for introducing this important resolution. I strongly urge all of my colleagues not only to support the resolution but also to take part in the annual congressional Selma to Montgomery march. I reserve the balance of my time.