Selma, AL – This weekend, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (NM) and Congresswoman Deb Haaland (NM-01) joined Reps. John Lewis (GA-05) and Terry Sewell (AL-7) on a Civil Rights Pilgrimage in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. More than forty Members of Congress spent the weekend-long event visiting locations that were instrumental in the fight for equality during the Civil Rights Movement.
“The story of the American civil rights movement is one of sheer heroism and unbridled courage in the pursuit of equality and justice,” Udall said. “I was honored and humbled to join this pilgrimage - to walk in the footsteps of the heroic men and women who marched, bled, and even gave their lives to bring this nation closer to its ideals. Their work must be our work today, as we confront systemic racism and the many ways this nation still fails to ensure equal rights for all Americans. From guaranteeing the right to vote, to reforming the criminal justice system, to defending the rights of immigrants and expanding opportunity for all communities, we must work tirelessly to honor the legacy of the civil rights movement and deliver on the American promise of justice and equality for all.”
“Much of the progress we’ve made to fully realize equality in this country is because of the Civil Rights Movement. While we still have a ways to go to ensure discrimination and racism ends and everyone has equal rights, I’m proud to spend this weekend honoring the courageous people who risked their lives for the right to vote, equal protection under the law, and fair treatment,” said Haaland .
During the Pilgrimage, Udall and Haaland visited sites along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama including:
– 16th Street Baptist Church where four young girls perished in a bombing orchestrated by the Ku Klux Klan;
– Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the first AME church in Alabama, the site of preparations for the march to Montgomery
– Edmund Pettus Bridge, where civil rights marchers endured police brutality during the first march for voting rights;
– Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, which served as a center point of the Montgomery bus boycott; and
– Rosa Parks Bus Site
