VP Kamala Harris Walks Across Edmund Pettus Bridge In Honor Of The 57th Anniversary Of Bloody Sunday

Kamala Harris speaks at the 57th Anniversary Of March Across the Edmund Pettus Bridge Remembered In Selma

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As she walked over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, Vice President Kamala Harris urged for Congress to pass voting rights legislation. Harris traveled to the state on Mar. 6, in honor of the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, where 600 activists trudged across the Selma bridge protesting against voter discrimination.

“A record number of people cast their ballots in the 2020 elections. It was a triumph of democracy in many ways. But not everyone saw it that way. Some saw it as a threat,” Harris said, adding that the GOP-led states across the country have made it increasingly difficult to vote with their “un-American laws.”

She also criticized Republican lawmakers for blocking the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. Both pieces of proposed legislation have been widely contested among Democrats and Republicans.

“If we all continue to work together, to march together, to fight together, we will secure the freedom to vote,” Harris declared.

The John Lews Voting Rights Act, named after the late Georgia house representative, would restore and strengthen parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which were struck down by two Supreme Court decisions of Shelby County v. Holder. The legislation would require certain states to pre-clear proposed changes of their voting laws with the federal government.

Similarly, if passed, the Freedom to Vote Act would ensure the integrity of the election process by expanding voter registration practices and voting access. This means that individuals would have the option to automatic and same-day registration and it will give many Americans the freedom to submit their vote by mail or via early voting. Security, campaign finance, and redistricting are also key components of the bill.

In 1965, as protesters marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, agitators and police harassed and attacked the social justice warriors with tear gas and billy clubs as they fought for their freedom to vote during Bloody Sunday. Dozens were injured and 17 people were hospitalized. During the Vice President’s speech, she noted that the marchers fought not only for their right to vote, but “to ensure all the people of our nation, no matter where they start, have the opportunity to succeed.” According to CNN, during her visit, Harris met with a slew of civil rights leaders from Alabama as she was joined by Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, among others.

You can watch Harris’s full speech below.