By Rev. T. Carlos Anderson and Rev. Jim Harrington
John Lewis, the fearless civil rights leader, was beaten mercilessly by police and vigilantes on the Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on Sunday, March 7, 1965 as he helped lead 600 marchers demanding voting rights for Black Alabamians. In the face of violence and hate, the marchers were not deterred. In the words of the civil rights’ folk song, they kept their eyes on the prize.
When the original 54-mile march to Montgomery, Alabama’s capital, resumed two weeks later, under federal protection, people from around the country joined, including religious leaders. Among them, Rabbi Abraham Heschel famously reported that he felt as if he was praying with his feet. By the time the marchers reached the Capitol steps after four days, they numbered 25,000. This historic march marshaled the political will President Lyndon Johnson needed to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965.