Changing the name would require approval from the Alabama Legislature. Moore | This time, amid the removal of Confederate monuments in Alabama and around the nation with calls to take down more sites dedicated to the Confederacy, a new push to rename the bridge named after Edmund Pettus -- a senior officer of the Confederacy and a white supremacist widely believed to be a grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan -- might have staying power. But, if you’re going to name something ‘Selma,' OK, let’s go to the grassroots of Selma,” said Reese. Pryor | The bridge was declared a National Historic Landmark on February 27, 2013. In the end, it is the lessons learned from our past that will instruct our future. Take a minute to check out all the enhancements! But Alan Reese isn’t pushing for the bridge to be named after his grandfather. Clay Jr. | Black | By continuing to use this site, you consent to the terms of our cookie policy, which can be found in our. He is currently working to add items from F.D. Attempts to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma aren’t new to Reese. Clemens | “That is really going to make the change in educating our community.”, Visit Alabama Media Group, Birmingham at www.al.com. Or the black people who were activists in their professions, including the teachers who participated in the Teacher’s March, a group of Selma teachers who fought for their right to vote by marching from Clark Elementary School to the Dallas County Courthouse. He also has a candid message for Hopkins: “I’ll dare him to come to Selma and talk to the community instead of looking from the hills and making decisions on a place he can’t see.”. An estimated 40,000 people attended to commemorate the 1965 march, and to reflect on and speak about its impact on history and continuing efforts to address and improve U.S. civil rights. Name the bridge for the Courageous 8 and the foot soldiers who took a stand not only for Selma, but for the nation,” said the statement, which went on the list the names of the Courageous Eight: Rev. Congressman John Lewis died in July 2020, calls rose to rename the bridge after him,[20][21] though Lewis – in an editorial with Representative Terri Sewell – had previously voiced opposition to renaming the bridge, stating: "Keeping the name of the Bridge is not an endorsement of the man who bears its name but rather an acknowledgement that the name of the Bridge today is synonymous with the Voting Rights Movement which changed the face of this nation and the world. During the M. Allen | Born in Selma, Reese now lives in Atlanta with his family. I think we have to get out of emotional decisions and start making educational decisions,” said Pettaway. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. The university has a collection of archives dedicated to SNCC, and well as archived records from the SCLC.

It has 10 smaller concrete spans, while the main span in the center, over the river, is made of steel. The irony is that a bridge named after a man who inflamed racial hatred is now known worldwide as a symbol of equality and justice. The bridge has a total of 11 spans. Thank you! They were marching to change a system.’. In a 2015 editorial co-authored with Alabama congresswoman Terri Sewell, Lewis called on us to embrace history: ‘The Edmund Pettus Bridge symbolises both who we once were, and who we have become today… Renaming the bridge will never erase its history. Bankhead Sr. |

NPS Photo. This year, a plethora of candidates -- former Vice President Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Tom Steyer -- descended onto Selma for the annual tribute and Jubilee. With the death of congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, pressure is mounting to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. History; Construction start: 1939: Construction end: 1940: Opened: May 25, 1940: Statistics; Daily traffic: 17,720: The Edmund Pettus Bridge was the site of the conflict of Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, when police attacked Civil Rights Movement demonstrators with horses, billy clubs, and tear gas as they were attempting to march to the state capital, Montgomery. DuVernay announced she had added her name to the petition, tweeting the link and asking others to join her. The Selma native said he and a lot of Selma’s citizens also disagree with the current petition to rename the bridge. “It’s a shame that we do not have a section,” said Reese. " Die 1940 erbaute Brücke ist nach General Edmund Winston Pettus benannt, ein ehemaliger Brigadegeneral der konföderierten Armee, US-Senator von Alabama und hochrangiges Mitglied des Ku-Klux-Klan. Why? Britannica does not review the converted text. "[16] On the 40th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, over 10,000 people, including Lewis, again marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

After translating an article, all tools except font up/font down will be disabled. Pettus was born in Alabama and was from a family of wealthy cotton planters who owned enslaved persons.

The Edmund Pettus Bridge Selma, Alabama . Stewart | Pettaway said the correct depiction of Selma’s past also falls on the shoulders of local leaders. März 1965 überregionale Bekanntheit, als ein von Martin Luther King angeführter Protestmarsch der Bürgerrechtsbewegung darüber führte und dessen Mitglieder nach Überqueren der Brücke von der örtlichen Polizei brutal attackiert wurden. We’ve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. F.D. “SNCC came in and went to work.”, “Nothing against John Lewis’ name,” said Alan Reese. Von 1855 bis 1858 war er als Richter des siebten Gerichtsbezirks tätig. “The movie of Selma was not accurate. The Edmund Pettus Bridge is a four-lane bridge made of steel and concrete. Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards.

Im Mexikanisch-Amerikanischen Krieg diente er als Leutnant.

Dr. Frederick D. Reese, the civil rights leader and educator who worked with organizers to lead voting rights efforts in Selma during the 1960s, said he disapproves of the effort. Let it fill you with awe for all that Lewis was able to overcome, and gratitude for his tremendous efforts to drive American history towards its promise of equality. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. “How was the concrete made for the Voting Rights Act? Living here, the local citizens need to also understand how to save themselves,” said Pettaway, explaining that residents of Selma need to start finding ways to keep politicians accountable after they visit the city. The call to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge is very much in line with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement’s idea of what it means to be anti-racist: to rename places, topple statues and erase symbols and words of the past. [7][8] One proposed alternative namesake is John Lewis, a civil rights leader who played a prominent role in the Selma to Montgomery marches and later a congressman.