Bloody Sunday March Will Go On — Sunday, March 8, 2015

MONTGOMERY, AL – “The Bloody Sunday March is on for Sunday, March 8th,” said Sen. Hank Sanders (D-Selma). “We appreciate the President’s coming to Selma on Saturday, March 7th, but the Bloody Sunday March is sacred, and it must go on.” Sanders and other leaders held a news conference today at 1:00 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Press Room of the Alabama State House concerning the Bloody Sunday March on Sunday, March 8th, and President Barack Obama’s scheduled visit to Selma on Saturday, March 7th.

“We have had many calls from people around the country voicing concern and expressing confusion about the Saturday date for the President’s visit that was recently announced. It is important for everyone to know that the Bloody Sunday March will go on as it always has – on Bloody Sunday. It will be held on Sunday, March 8th,” Sanders said.

“It was not Bloody Saturday or Bloody Monday or Bloody March 7th,” said Rep. Alvin Holmes (D-Montgomery). “It was Bloody Sunday. The Bloody Sunday March is too sacred must take place on Sunday.”

Tuskegee Mayor Johnny Ford said, “We welcome the President to Alabama at any time. We are glad he is coming. We wish he was coming for the Bloody Sunday March on Sunday, March 8th, but we are glad he is coming. The Bloody Sunday March is sacred. It must go on, and it will go on as always.”

“The Bloody Sunday March has been commemorated on Sunday every year for 40-plus years,” said Rep. John Knight (D-Montgomery). “It cannot be shifted to a Saturday on the 50th Anniversary. The Bloody Sunday March is sacred and will take place on Sunday, March 8th.”

Alabama Democratic Conference Chair Dr. Joe Reed said, “Bloody Sunday is the worldwide symbol for the struggle for voting rights. It was not Bloody Saturday or Bloody7th. It was Bloody Sunday. Too many people sacrificed their blood and lives for the right to vote, and the Bloody Sunday March is sacred and must go on.”

“We want the best for all people,” said Rep. Thad McClammy (D-Montgomery). “Bloody Sunday has been a symbol for voting rights for 49 years. We cannot and we will not stop now – on the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference President Dr. Charles Steele said, “We have got to have the Bloody Sunday March. The Bloody Sunday March enabled Senator Barack Obama to be elected President of the United States and other Black elected officials to serve in public office. We revere Bloody Sunday and know that the Bloody Sunday March must take place on Sunday, March 8th.” Steele, who heads SCLC, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s organization, was at a funeral when the news conference took place and sent in his remarks.

“Senator Barack Obama came to Selma and marched on Bloody Sunday when he was seeking to be President. President Bill Clinton came to Selma and marched on Bloody Sunday on March 5, 2000, on the 35th Anniversary. Vice President Joe Biden came to Selma in 2013 and marched on Bloody Sunday. Attorney General Eric Holder came to Selma and marched on Bloody Sunday. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came to Selma and marched on Bloody Sunday. They and so many others all recognized the sacredness of Bloody Sunday in their pilgrimages to Selma. Many leaders, civil rights and otherwise, have come to Bloody Sunday every single year for decades. Bloody Sunday is sacred. The Bloody Sunday March is sacred and cannot be aborted or redirected. It must be commemorated. It must be reenacted. It must be respected. It must be lifted. And it will on Sunday, March 8th,” said Sen. Sanders.