Organizers of events marking the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march say it will celebrate what happened in 1965 and energize people to address challenges to voting today.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference President Charles Steele, state Sen. Hank Sanders and others announced Wednesday that Selma's annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee will be expanded for the 50th anniversary in March. It will include a re-enactment of the 50-mile march from Selma to the state Capitol in Montgomery.
Sanders anticipates the largest crowd since the 1965 event. Steele says organizers will use the anniversary to encourage people to fight changes in election laws, including requiring voters to show photo IDs at the polls and restrictions on early voting. Steele says challenges to voting are as great as they were in 1965.