Civil rights history steps retraced in Selma, Ala.
SELMA, Ala. (WLS) -- Thousands of people gathered at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary "Bloody Sunday," retracing some of the most significant steps in civil rights history.
Some people from the Chicago area were part of the crowd of 20,000 that joined the crush on and around the small bridge to commemorate the landmark moment.
The young and the old surrounded Brown Chapel AME Church Sunday, where there was an A-list of speakers including Attorney General Eric Holder, who asserted there is much more work to be done.
"People of color continue to be marginalized, stigmatized, brutalized and denied their very humanity," he said.
As marchers made their way toward the Edmund Pettus Bridge they found thousands already there. Due to the large crowd organizers abandoned the official march as people pressed their own way.
The change of plans did not dampen spirits. Most say they came with one goal in mind, crossing the bridge where 50 years ago marchers were beaten by police in a gruesome show of force.
"I feel like it's my moral and social responsibility to walk across that bridge, to be in the setting with the people who have paved the way for the experiences that I have now," Jibria Ali said.
"I feel that's important because if I don't know where I came from, I can't exactly know where I'm going in the future," said Stephanie Corey.
On this day when the world focuses attention on civil rights, many Chicago groups say they just had to be here to show that the cause for which so many sacrificed is still vitally important.
"There's a special light on us, so it makes sense for us to be here as well, to represent some of the positivity, represent some of the strides that we've made and this legacy that we are a part of," said Sandria Washington.
Chicago educator Paul Adams III answered Dr. Martin Luther King's call in 1965 and made the 54 mile trek from Selma to Montgomery. He said he cried as he crossed the bridge this time. As he noted the crowds that have flocked to Selma this weekend, he hopes the next generation keeps the struggle in sight.
"I wanted to go around and ask everyone, 'Did you vote the last time?'" he said. "I don't think people really know what they were here for and it's sad that we don't vote. And this was about the right to vote," he said.
Next month, there will be a ceremonial walk from Selma to Montgomery, the original route that celebrated the Voting Rights Act, and many Chicagoans in Selma this weekend said they will take part in the 54-mile trek.
