Friday, March 23, 2007

Edmund Pettus Bridge gets a facelift



Traffic is squeezed to two lanes as the Edmund Pettus Bridge gets a new coat of paint.

The bridge is famous as the site of the 1965 "Bloody Sunday" Voting Rights March when state troopers and a county posse drove hundreds of marchers back across the bridge with tear gas and billy clubs. The melee was shown on national TV and spurred the U.S. Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act, banning certain requirements used to keep blacks from registering to vote.

At the recent March 4 *Bridge Crossing Jubilee (view video), Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama as well as former President Clinton marched with hundreds across the bridge.

Today, visitors from all over the world come to photograph this historic site and to cross the bridge themselves. The span crosses the Alabama River along U.S. Highway 80 in downtown Selma.

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6 comments:

Chuckeroon said...

Ho. Ho. It's the same wherever we live these days. Welcome to CDP

Janet said...

Ho. Ho. You are right! I have updated the description to be more specific. Most every town has history and and at least a bit of beauty. Sorry, cities in the USA can't compare to the centuries of history in Europe and elsewhere. However, Selma, Alabama, USA is certainly unique as viewers will soon discover through its daily photo and blog.
Thanks for visiting, and do come back!

Pat said...

That will have traffic snarled up for awhile!

It's nice to read about the history of the bridge!


My PAD and
Guelph Daily Photo

Victoria said...

I'm glad to see a daily photo blog from Selma, and I'm interested to see your take on your hometown!

Welcome to the City Daily Photo!

Janet said...

Hi Pat,
Thanks for visiting! Fortunately, most of the work was finished before Bridge Crossing Jubilee, and that gave the bridge a nice "glow."
There's also a bypass around downtown, so most truck traffic doesn't have to cross the bridge.

Janet said...

Hello Victoria,
I believe I visited your Joplin site when I was deciding whether to post a Daily Photo blog. I really enjoy seeing all these cities through the camera lenses of people who live there. Then I noticed that Selma, Alabama didn't have a daily photo, so here goes!