It was confirmed by White House officials that, President Barack Obama is due to take part in the 50-years anniversary of Selma Civil Right March in Alabama.
It was reported that Mr. Obama will give a speech to mark the ‘Bloody Sunday’ in March 1965 incident when the security forces attacked the demonstrators. Organizers said, Michele Obama and around 100 members from the Congress are also expected to be present for the occasion. It was confirmed that the President and his wife will take part in a procession, which will recreate the walk on the bridge.
Police beat and used tear gas on demonstrators at the foot of Edmund Pettus Bridge on 7 March, 1965. Historians said, the event and the march from Selma to Montgomery two weeks later, helped to build a momentum for approval of the Voting Rights Act by Congress later that year.
Locals said, half the people in Selma are now black and more than half of the businesses are also owned by black people. But they said, Selma remained one of the poorest State in the country. According to the local statistics half of the people earn in an average of $43,000 a year and half of the people live below the poverty line. According to a recent data, around 10 percent of Selma residents are unemployed, one of the highest rate in Alabama.
In an interview with CNBC Andrew Young, a lieutenant of Martin Luther King Jr.’s said, “The people who received less benefit from the movement are the ones who did the most. That’s always bothered me”. He also participated in the March 4, 1965 demonstration. He also added, “The farmers who let us stay in their homes, who bonded us out of jail, are old guys now. They still own land but they can’t make a living on the land”. But other locals said, the city is making progress.
