60 Years After Bloody Sunday, Selma Still Calls Us To Action
I spent five days on the ground in Alabama for the 60th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday—witnessing joyful defiance, remembrance, and a renewed call to action amid Trump’s attacks on civil rights.
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Mr. Charles Mauldin was 17 years old when he crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965. He was the sixth person walking behind John Lewis in a group of 600 marchers.
The demonstration was violently disrupted as Alabama State Troopers beat and gassed the peaceful marchers, including Mr. Charles. That brutal day—now known as Bloody Sunday—shocked the conscience of the nation and led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
60 years later, Mr. Charles, this humble, heroic foot soldier of the Civil Rights movement walked beside me outside of Zion Methodist Church in Marion, Alabama, feet from Mack’s Cafe, where Jimmy Lee Jackson was shot and killed by Alabama State Trooper James Fowler. Jimmy’s February 18, 1965 murder was the catalyst for the planned march from Selma to Montgomery.
Walking outside this historic church on Thursday morning, I asked Mr. Charles, now 77, what the 60th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday means to him amid renewed attacks on civil rights from the Trump Administration.
“The ultimate fact of being black in America is that we simply have periods of relief from having to struggle forward,” Mr. Charles profoundly replied. “So I’m not shocked by what’s happening now. There’s no relief for people like me. We’re forced to be civil rights activists. Every 20 to 30 years, it swings. You take two steps forward and there are three back. That’s the truism of being Black in America.”
But Mr. Charles hasn’t lost hope. He’s still in the fight. He now speaks on learning tours led by the nonprofit group Common Power. That’s where I first met Mr. Charles last time I went to Alabama in April 2024 on a learning tour with the Seattle Seahawks.
“Because there has never been any reconciling in America, that’s why history keeps repeating itself,” Mr. Charles continued, broaching the progress and backlash cycle of American history. This, Mr. Charles says, is why he started speaking about his experience that bloody day in Selma, after being reluctant to speak for decades. “The real truth hasn’t been told, and that’s why they feel a need to repeat the lie. Until there’s reconciliation, this will continue.”
Of all the events that transpired, it was Mr. Charles’s words about America’s ongoing struggle that still reverberates in my head. This same sentiment was expressed at the Mass Meeting held at Tabernacle Baptist Church on Thursday night.
The meeting contained a mix of joyful defiance, celebration, remembrance, and a sense of urgency. There was a real recognition that the Trump Administration is renewing assaults on foundational civil rights and a call to action to continue the fight.
As I’ve written about extensively, the Trump Administration isn’t simply targeting DEI; they’re targeting fundamental civil rights. On top of that, Trump’s anti-Critical Race Theory executive orders will erode the teaching of American history, which, of course, includes Black history. Voter suppression is still alive and well in America. And he’s trying to unlawfully consolidate power in the executive. This was all on my mind at the church service.
As the church broke out into an iconic song, “Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round,” they replaced the word “nobody” with Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s names.
The final speaker of the night really brought the house down. Rev. Willie Dwayne Francois III delivered an energetic powerhouse of a speech, declaring that, “Democracy is being sold to the highest bidder,” and calling on those at the mass meeting to “brave the backlash.”
Rev. Francois spoke about the ebbs and flows of history, of how when there is Black progress, there is always a backlash. But he assured those in attendance that foot soldiers braved far worse. “You cannot steal my memory of what we’ve overcome,” he declared, referencing attacks on American history education.
The message at the mass meeting was simple: American democracy is under attack, and we are once again being called to push America to live up to its highest ideals.
It was in this spirit that I joined Common Power once again and spent 5 days in Alabama, visiting Montgomery, Marion, and Selma - soaking in the history of the state with educators, activists, and foot soldiers, all while doing reporting from the ground.
My on-the-ground journalism this past weekend involved two MSNBC appearances and participating in Common Power’s marathon live streams led by David Domke, which included an interview with Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL).
On Friday morning, I spoke to MSNBC’s Ali Vitali about my conversation with Mr. Charles Mauldin and my experience at the Mass Meeting.
On Friday afternoon, I caught a truly remarkable moment.
It was March 7, the official 60th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Every year, a bipartisan delegation of congresspeople participates in a Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Selma, organized by the Faith & Politics Institute. At their press conference this year, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears (R-VA) were in attendance.
I was among the audience.
While standing at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Republican Rep. Byron Donalds said he opposes the return of preclearance, a vital element of the Voting Rights Act of 1965—which this historic Selma march was all about. His remarks came in response to a question about whether he supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which seeks to restore preclearance - Chief Justice Roberts struck down that provision in the 2013 Shelby v. Holder ruling.
It was a stunning moment. Someone in the crowd behind me yelled, “You not like us! You definitely not like us!” quoting the Kendrick Lamar song.
This isn’t the first time Rep. Donalds has made controversial comments about Civil Rights. Last Summer, Donalds said that “During Jim Crow, the Black family was together” and blamed President Lyndon B. Johnson’s policies for ending that alleged togetherness. As we know, President Johnson’s polices put an end to Jim Crow and created a new era for voting rights in America.
I sent a post about Rep. Donalds’ comments on social media and appeared on my previously scheduled appearance with Rev. Al Sharpton on Saturday to discuss this stunning moment.
That moment with Rep. Donalds dishonored the sacrifice of foot soldiers. Later that evening, I attended an event that honored them.
Common Power debuted a documentary called “American Dignity.” Directed by Hanson Hosein, the film focused on two leaders: Mr. Charles Mauldin and Charles Douglas III, a modern-day organizer and Executive Director of Common Power.
It showcased an intergenerational dialogue between these two leaders and what historical lessons they can draw to continue the fight today. It also showed Mr. Charles Mauldin speaking to other foot soldiers of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
During the Q&A, there was a particularly moving moment from Mr. Charles Mauldin as he talked about the trauma of Bloody Sunday and how he’s only begun to truly unravel and process that trauma over the past 2 years by telling his story.
During the panel, there was a discussion about truth, reconciliation, and the need for healing. This was in reference to the Truth & Reconciliation Commissions that were launched in both Germany and South Africa to reckon with the history of Nazism and Apartheid respectively. The point being made on this panel was that it’s not enough to simply educate a nation about the sins of its past, but to also reconcile and heal the trauma associated with.
On the panel, Mr. Charles Mauldin repeated what he said to me earlier in the week about the need for America to face its traumatic history, or else it won’t be able to grow. He likened it to how he’s faced his own trauma, and that’s helped him grow, even in his older age.
It was with these insights that I entered the weekend of the Jubilee celebration in Selma.
The rain on Sunday morning didn’t stop the excitement or quell the number of marchers. Tens of thousands showed up to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, by the count of the Alabama Reflector. As we gathered around the foot of the bridge, the rain stopped.
The crowd was filled with activists, politicians, and everyday Americans. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL), and Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL) were among the lawmakers who crossed the bridge. Rev. Al Sharpton, former MSNBC host Joy Reid, and MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle were also in attendance.
The bridge crossing itself was moving but a little chaotic. I was up in the front of the crowd with other members of the media who were frantically seeking to take photos. After a while and a couple of solid shots, I decided to simply walk and be present in that moment.
You could feel the solemn nature of the event in the air as we freely walked over a bridge where, 60 years ago, 600 peaceful marchers had been violently forced to turn back.
It was a reminder of how far our country has marched and yet how much further we still have to go.
Before this trip, I’m not going to lie to you, I was starting to feel some burnout. As many of you know, I documented every single day of Trump’s first term, and as I began to cover the torrent of authoritarian actions coming from this second term, it started to take its toll on me.
But being among foot soldiers who endured so many atrocities in their fight for progress was rejuvenating. Their stories of perseverance were inspiring. They overcame far more than what we face today. They braved the oppression of Jim Crow, and they pushed America forward. If we can bounce back from that, we can surely overcome today’s struggles.
I flew back home to Brooklyn with a renewed fire and one key takeaway: It’s our turn.
What an inspiring trip you took, Ahmed. Thank you for sharing the details for the rest of us. I must say I’m disappointed in Byron Donalds. He certainly could have kept his opinion to himself on this particular Remembrance Day.