Vanguard

Issue date: 3/5/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Jeff Poor / News Editor

Media Credit: Jeff Poor / News Editor

SELMA - Among a throng of spirited activists, presidential hopefuls Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y,. and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., along with former President Bill Clinton marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma to commemorate "Bloody Sunday," the tragic 1965 civil rights march for black voting rights.
Sunday's memorial of the March 7, 1965 events, where hundreds of peaceful protestors were clubbed and tear-gassed by local police for speaking out against racist voting practices, drew thousands as the assemblage slowly advanced down Martin Luther King Jr. Street.
The crowd, including Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and several other of Alabama's elected officials, locked arms and sang hymns as they made their way to the historical bridge site.
Prior to the commemorative march, Obama and Hillary spoke to a vocal crowd gathered at the historic Brown Chapel AME Church, the self-proclaimed headquarters of the civil rights movement.
Each candidate recognized contributions and sacrifices made by previous civil rights leaders and called for Americans to continue the fight toward racial equality, citing inequality in healthcare, the court system and education.
"The main reason I am here today is to say thank you," Obama said. "I'm here to say thank you to some folks who can't be here today but whose shoulders I stand on."
"We've got to stay awake because we've got a march to continue," Hillary said.
Despite limited interaction, both Hillary and Obama applauded one another during their short speeches at Brown Chapel.
Obama said Clinton "is doing an excellent job for this country."
"It's exciting that we have a presidential candidate like Barack Obama who embodies what all of you fought for here 42 years ago," Hillary said.
Both candidates were met with resounding applause and cheers of agreement, but former President Bill Clinton seemed to draw the most appreciation from the crowd. Upon arriving, he was swarmed by hand shakers and picture takers.
This was the first time both Obama and Clinton had shared the public stage since they both announced their intentions to secure the Democratic presidential nomination. The two are seen as the frontrunners for the spot.
Montgomery resident Gwendolyn Lipscomb, an Obama supporter making her seventh trip to the Selma event, said she enjoyed the celebrity politician appearances and was glad to see them take interest in such an important event.
"Every year we commemorate this, I think the message is even greater," she said. "It serves as a constant reminder of what people sacrifices to get us where we are today."
Preceding the pre-march rally, Obama spoke to the Brown Chapel congregation about a "Moses generation" that "helped lead us out of bondage … who took the risks, who suffered the tear gas, and the horses and the fire hoses, so that so many of us could stand here as free people," he said. Obama called for the "Joshua generation" to pick up where they left off.
A variety of handmade signs with sayings such as "Barack the vote" and "Sweet home Obama" showed support for Obama.
Pam Foster, who works at the University of Alabama, made her third trip from Tuscaloosa for the re-enactment of the march.
Foster, a Hillary devotee-turned-Obama supporter, said hearing him speak was her main motivation for attending. She was not let down, she said.
"I loved what he had to say about the Joshua generation taking the mantle from the Moses generation," she said.
Foster said she switched her vote after deciding Obama was more anti-Iraq war than Hillary, and while she's not completely confident Obama can win a presidency, she believes he is positioning himself to be a strong vice presidential candidate.
"I'm ready (for Obama), but is the country ready?" she asked with a grin.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools