A BRUTAL CLASH between black citizens and the establishment 50 years ago known as ‘Bloody Sunday’ was commemorated on March 7 with a memorial walk led by USA President Barack Obama and former President George W Bush.
The events at the port city of Selma near the Alabama river half a century ago are considered to be a turning point in the USA’s quest for civil rights. Local and state police violently used clubs and gas to halt a peaceful group of protestors demanding the right to vote. The event shocked the nation.
Senator Jeff Sessions said Christian faith was at the heart of the protests.
He said: “The religious component of it is too often underestimated. People marched. They said their prayers. They got on their knees. They sang hymns, and they went out and believed they were right.
“They made a decision they would not respond with violence. And to me that was a blessed thing. The Lord’s hand was in that.”