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Amid one of the most difficult eras in American history, the weather in the Southeast did nothing to ease the ongoing fight for justice.
What was the Selma to Montgomery March?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark achievement that ended segregation in public spaces and prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or sex.
It helped strengthen the voting rights of African Americans in the South, but even so, many southern states continued to deny African Americans their right to vote.
On Feb. 18, 1965, a peaceful protest for voting rights in Marion, Ala. turned deadly when white segregationists attacked the group. An Alabama state trooper shot an African American protester, Jimmie Lee Jackson.
In response, Martin Luther King Jr. organized a march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. to draw greater attention to the injustices faced by the Black community and to advance their voting rights.
Dr. Martin Luther Jr. hops over a puddle as it rains in Selma, Ala., March 1, 1965. King led hundreds of African Americans to the court house in a voter registration drive. At front is civil rights worker Andrew Young, and at right, behind King is Rev. Ralph Abernathy. (AP Photo)
The beginning of the march
The event began on March 1, 1965, with a voter registration drive. Pouring rain soaked the supporters and led to ponding on the roadways and sidewalks.
Even these miserable conditions couldn’t halt the movement. Thousands of people prepared for the journey with raincoats, umbrellas, and rain boots, laying the foundation for one of the most important marches of the civil rights movement.
On March 7, the march from Selma to Montgomery began and ultimately stretched over more than two weeks. State troopers and segregationists repeatedly tried to stop the protesters, causing several interruptions along the way.
On March 15, President Lyndon B. Johnson voiced his support for the march, and military personnel then led the protesters the rest of the way, culminating in the march’s completion on March 25.
A big win for racial equality
After all of their hard work, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It guaranteed the right to vote for all African Americans in every state.
Southern states could no longer use literacy tests to stop African Americans from voting.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is one of the greatest pieces of civil rights legislation in American history. It provided another way for the voice of the Black community to be heard.
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Spectrum News Staff, Meteorologist Shelly Lindblade
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