Amendment; only three percent of the 29,000 blacks
the giant field, as 25,000 marchers gathered. “We
living in Selma were registered to vote. On March 7,
knew we were going to participate in something that
1965, about 500 marchers started out for Montgomery
was obviously going to be historic. Blacks and whites,
from Selma; in an event later known as “Bloody
we were all walking together.”
James Karales | courtesy of the Estate of James Karales
Sunday,” state troopers attacked the marchers as
Protected by federal troops, the marchers reached
they were crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
the state capitol in Montgomery, bringing to a close
Images of the brutality roused support for the civil
the journey that had started weeks earlier on “Bloody
rights movement in Alabama; a second “ceremonial”
Sunday.” The Selma marches marked a turning point
march to the bridge took place only a few days later.
in the voting rights movement; President Lyndon
A third march—this time to the state capitol build-
Johnson, horrified by the events of “Bloody Sunday,”
ing in Montgomery—left Selma on March 21. Mr.
called for a strong voting rights law, and the Voting
Miller joined the march four days later, flying through
Rights Act was passed five months later.
the night to arrive in St. Jude’s Field, on the outskirts
the common room
We knew we were going to participate in something that was obviously going to be historic. Blacks and whites, we were all walking together.
Looking back, Mr. Miller, now a lawyer and
of Montgomery. He remembered seeing dozens of
Worcester resident, said, “I thought that day that
charter planes from across the country lined up on
this was something I never would forget.”
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