Pettus is long gone, buried in the older section of Live Oaks Cemetery in Selma. Sanders says it would take an act of the state legislature to change the name. Supporters of a name change say it’s time, and they have an online petition with more than 112,000 signatures to back it up.

John Lewis, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (in the foreground) is being beaten by a state trooper. Tourism leaders say travelers spent $87 million in Dallas County in 2019, up 14 percent from the year before. “But I do feel that more people are becoming educated and more people are moving in the right direction,” said Sanders. “There is no denying that Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge—the site where foot soldiers shed their blood in the name of equality and justice for all Americans—is a powerful symbol of the civil rights movement," Sewell said. Congressman sustained a fractured skull. "What happened was the result of the signing of the Voting Rights Act. “Print media is quite costly now,” said Sheryl Smedley of the Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Information. It is a costly move, especially when you factor in all the marketing materials and signage.

If you change the name, you change the meaning of what we did.”. “We must confront and reject Alabama’s racist history and come together to implement the bold changes needed to ensure our nation finally lives up to its promise of equality and justice for all,” Sewell added.

The North Carolina State Board of Election has sent out a memo encouraging county elections officials to suspend a program allowing voters to sign an affidavit to make up for the lack of a witness signature on their ballots. Sewell went on to say it is a "thoughtfully symbolic" gesture. SELMA, Ala. (WSFA) - What’s in a name? Bryan Henry is a reporter Monday through Friday for WSFA 12 News. Others, though, aren’t so sure that’s a good idea. After a two-year stint on the desk, Bryan accepted an offer to resume his reporting career with WSFA 12 News. But could his name on the bridge be far behind? “I do believe this moment is different,” Sewell, the only African-American member of the state’s Congressional delegation, said Tuesday. Back in December, Lewis announced that he would be undergoing treatment for Stage IV pancreatic cancer. ATLANTA — A petition is calling for a famous Alabama bridge to be renamed in honor of Rep. John Lewis, The Edmund Pettus Bridge located in Selma, Alabama, is infamous in Civil Rights history. Lewis suffered serious injuries on “Bloody Sunday” and, despite battling cancer, crossed the bridge in March for the annual reenactment. RELATED: Civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. Petition seeks to rename Edmund Pettus Bridge, Rep. Terri Sewell joins call to rename Edmund Pettus Bridge. Congresswoman Terri Sewell, D-District 7, is throwing her full support behind the name-change effort mere weeks after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Removing Confederate memorials and renaming buildings is not the change they seek, but it is an important step in the process towards racial healing. That depends on historical perspective when it comes to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Why is Atlanta considered the mecca of the civil rights movement. Lewis, a future U.S. “My primary focus is on extending the rights of the living and not on the transgressions of the dead," Sewell said.
The bridge is currently named after a confederate general who also served as a U.S. senator and Ku Klux Klan leader. On March 7, 1965, Lewis and hundreds of other demonstrators, who were vying to protect the rights of black people to vote against measures like poll taxes and literacy tests, were brutally beaten by state troopers during a pivotal point in the movement known as "Bloody Sunday.". "...But passing a law that protects the rights of all Americans to vote is the ultimate action that furthers John's legacy.". Gov. A Gray Media Group, Inc. Station - © 2002-2020 Gray Television, Inc. “While I believe the historical significance of the bridge transcends the man for which it was named, I also acknowledge that in this moment everything must be on the table, and that includes renaming the bridge.”. If you change the name, you change the meaning of what we did.”. At this point, we need to change hearts. by: OD Action On March 7, 1965, 25 year-old John Lewis co-led a peaceful march of 600 protesters from Selma to Montgomery only to be met with extreme unprovoked violence from Alabama State Troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. “While I believe the historical significance of the bridge transcends the man for which it was named, I also acknowledge that in this moment everything must be on the table, and that includes renaming the bridge.”.

A petition on Change.org has gained over 444,900 signatures as of 10:44 p.m. Saturday night to rename the bridge. We must be willing to do the easy things so that we can focus on making transformational change.”.

But it would take another 25 years before the name and images from that span would be seared into American history with the events of “Bloody Sunday” in 1965. 110K sign petition to rename Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of ‘Bloody Sunday’ Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of the 1965 attack dubbed 'Bloody Sunday'. SELMA, Ala. (WSFA) - What’s in a name? Pettus is long gone, buried in the older section of Live Oaks Cemetery in Selma. The petition has 4,500 signatures so far.

"People of all colors coming together crying out for bold change.”. (Source: WSFA 12 News)

"It's an important thing to honor Congressman John Lewis who is the son of Alabama and show that Alabama has changed to understand the importance of civil rights for all people, especially since Congressman Lewis spilled blood on that bridge in 1963," the petition reads.

Supporters of a name change say it’s time, and they have an online petition with more than 112,000 signatures to back it up. A name change isn’t as simple as it sounds, either.

Edmund Pettus was a Confederate general who settled in Selma after the Civil War.

The announcement was received by an overflow of social media support from politicians, past presidents and members of the civil rights community.

1 Julian Price Pl.Charlotte, NC 28208(704) 374-3500.

Copyright 2020 WSFA 12 News.

The moment helped hasten the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Former Alabama state Sen. Hank Sanders tried five years ago to have the name changed in the Alabama Senate but the House put the brakes on it and it went nowhere. What happened on March 7, 1965, was domestic terrorism," Bland said. State troopers swing billy clubs to break up a civil rights voting march in Selma, Ala., March 7, 1965. At just 11-years-old, she was among the original foot soldiers on that day, thought she was not among those attacked. All rights reserved.

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Sewell said this moment in time requires the removal of any and all impediments to make systemic changes in policing, education, housing, economic policy, and more. "What happened was the result of the signing of the Voting Rights Act. All rights reserved. Sanders said by phone he doesn’t feel vindicated by the latest movement, only encouraged. He was reportedly the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, according to Smithsonian Magazine. RELATED: Cory Booker calls for new fight for justice as Democratic presidential candidates mark Selma anniversary. Others, though, aren’t so sure that’s a good idea. “In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the subsequent protests and outcry across the nation, there is no denying that this moment is different; our brothers and sisters – black and white – are crying out for bold change," Sewell said. "People of all colors coming together crying out for bold change.”. “But I do feel that more people are becoming educated and more people are moving in the right direction,” said Sanders. “Changing the name of that bridge won’t change hearts. He was reportedly the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Jo Ann Bland, for one, prefers to leave it alone.

We must be willing to do the easy things so that we can focus on making transformational change.”. That was the most significant piece of legislation in the last century. The bridge bearing his name was dedicated in 1940, some 30 years after his death. Gov.

This is not the first attempt to rename the bridge. Removing Confederate memorials and renaming buildings is not the change they seek, but it is an important step in the process towards racial healing. A name change isn’t as simple as it sounds, either. Many of them came to see the bridge, walk across it to step back in time to imagine that day in 1965 when Alabama State Troopers beat marchers trying to pass over the bridge on their way to Montgomery. “In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the subsequent protests and outcry across the nation, there is no denying that this moment is different; our brothers and sisters – black and white – are crying out for bold change," Sewell said. On Oct. 6, the city of Selma will elect a new mayor into office. At just 11-years-old, she was among the original foot soldiers on that day, thought she was not among those attacked.
A Gray Media Group, Inc. Station - © 2002-2020 Gray Television, Inc. Appalachian State University is postponing its scheduled football game against Louisiana due to COVID-19 positive tests and contact tracing. He joined the WSFA 12 family in November of 1995 as Assignment Editor.

The petition that’s circulating calls for renaming the bridge after U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Troy native who represents a Congressional district in Georgia. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings.

He joined the WSFA 12 family in November of 1995 as Assignment Editor. Rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge for John Lewis!

Congresswoman Terri Sewell, D-District 7, is throwing her full support behind the name-change effort mere weeks after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. “Changing the name of that bridge won’t change hearts. “The voices on the streets of the nation cry out to be heard and they demand real change. Lewis suffered serious injuries on “Bloody Sunday” and, despite battling cancer, crossed the bridge in March for the annual reenactment. “I do believe this moment is different,” Sewell, the only African-American member of the state’s Congressional delegation, said Tuesday. Copyright 2020 WSFA 12 News.