Obama to join in 50th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’

Published 3:11 pm Saturday, March 7, 2015

SELMA, Ala. — President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and about 100 members of Congress converged on Selma, Alabama, on Saturday for the 50th anniversary of a landmark event of the civil rights movement.

Obama was slated to speak in the riverside town to commemorate “Bloody Sunday,” the day in 1965 when police attacked marchers demonstrating for voting rights.

The violence preceded the Selma-to-Montgomery march, which occurred two weeks later. Both helped build momentum for congressional approval of the Voting Rights Act later that year.

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Thousands of people attend the annual observance of the anniversary, and organizers expected an even larger crowd this year.

First lady Michelle Obama was expected to travel with the president, and former President George W. Bush also planned to attend. The congressional delegation included U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, an Alabama native who was among the marchers seriously injured in the violence 50 years ago.