reeling, which is grieving because of a tornado that came through here just six weeks ago and devastated people here. what i have heard from residents is that the recovery efforts these last six weeks, they ve been a difficult and an even. people are desperate to get additional federal support. you re going to see biden talk to people here, walk across the bridge, but also potentially survey some of the damage and recommit federal support and dollars to this community in selma. they are in need on so many levels right now, jonathan. an important trip by the president. nbc news correspondent antonia hylton, thank you very much for that report from selma. joining me now is the reverend al sharpton, host of politicsnation, founder and president of the national action network and author of righteous troublemakers, untold stories of the social justice movement in america. reverend, thank you very much for coming back to the sunday show. the union cellmate today, is it a reminder of how mu
brennan center, across this country, more than half of the states here are looking at bills, about 150 of them which could further restrict voting rights for communities. particularly, in historic, black communities like the one i am in right now. this is an issue of urgency. people here i have spoken to said they want to hear the president talk about this, recommit from the administration to fight, to push lawmakers, to pass for example the john lewis voting rights act. but also, this is a pivotal moment here in selma. this community was devastated just six weeks ago by a tornado, that has left many people grieving in many ways, with extreme loss, waiting for additional federal dollars. i got to speak with one woman who came here from ekalaka, not a long drive, to come and be part of this. she s taking part in the march before. i spoke to were about what this moment represents, take a listen. right now, across the
it is bittersweet today, because selma experienced a horrible tornado. it s been slow going, and my fear is that it s been an uneven recovery. those in west selma who were insured, may recover faster than those who were in east selma. my job is to make sure that we have a level recovery. and that we come back, and we rebuild better. because you know and i know that selma has been a declining city, way before the tornado. so my hope is that president biden will not only talk about the importance of voting rights, and i hope recommit himself to passing the voting rights advancement act. but i also invited him, because they wanted him to see the devastation in selma. he needs to see us. he needs to hear selma, see
investigations are so very different. first, happy martin luther king jr. day from new orleans, one of my all-time favorite cities, where we begin with the hard fought and hard won holiday celebrating king s life and legacy. the reverend dr. martin luther king jr. transformed the nation the way we think, the way we protest, the ways in which we commit and recommit to the promise of america. it was he, alongside his wife coretta scott king, who led a black voting rights march from selma, alabama, to the state capitol in montgomery in 1965. that fight for voting rights and equality continues today. it s also the day we witness with display the tradition of republicans misusing ml,est k s message by retweeting the one quote they know, the one from his i have a dream speech two years before selma, challenging america to judge people not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
and violence, the triple evils he waumwanted to erad cat, it doesn t mean we won t and we can t. it feels like we have a long way to go, and so we can redouble, quadruple our efforts every year. it s wonderful because january, we can start anew. it s like new year s resolutions. you may not have achieved them, but every year you start anew. that s what we have to do. we have to recommit, refocus, talk about bringing the nation together, not being at odds. we re so much better than the behavior we exhibit. that healing is desperately needed today. we have seen that need time and again. but it means so much to us that you both came in today to speak with us on your father s birthday. i m glad you pointed that out. today is his birthday. and tomorrow is your birthday. happy birthday to you. thank you. andrea and martin, thank you for your time. we appreciate it. coming up, two presidents all