John Lewis Makes Surprise Appearance During 55th Anniversary Of 'Bloody Sunday' In Selma

Caption

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., center in red, addresses a crowd on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., Sunday, March 1, 2020, during a commemoration of the 55th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," when white police attacked black marchers in Selma. / AP

Atlanta Congressman John Lewis made a surprise appearance Sunday in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

On March 7, 1965, Alabama state troopers beat and tear-gassed hundreds of voting-rights demonstrators trying to march from Selma to Montgomery.

Only 25 at the time and years away from joining Congress, Lewis led the marchers and was among the injured.

That day in history would go on to be known as Bloody Sunday in Selma.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjZZ3r7Nuuk&ab_channel=WashingtonUniversityinSt.Louis

Although he was not scheduled to appear at Sunday’s commemoration, Lewis addressed the crowd before the procession began.

“I thought I was going to die on this bridge,” the Atlanta congressman said. “But somehow and some way, God almighty kept me here. We cannot give up now, we cannot give in. We must keep the faith, keep our eyes on the prize. We must go out and vote like we never, never voted before.”

Just a few months after the march in Selma, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law.

On Sunday, Lewis was joined by several democratic presidential candidates, including Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bloomberg.

Former vice president Joe Biden, who won the South Carolina democratic presidential primary, spoke during morning worship at historic Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma.

It was a rare public appearance for Lewis, who announced he was battling stage four pancreatic cancer last December.