Civil Rights Movement Alabama Research Tour - Post 2 OF 3
Strong shadows on the Edmund Pettus Bridge
On the second day of the Civil Rights Movement research tour in Alabama, we left our Birmingham hotel bright and early and set off by coach to Selma. As we drove I couldn't help but notice how long the journey was, it occurred to me that during the movement in the 1960s many activists took part in the march from Selma to Montgomery for right to vote. As I sat there on the coach I began to wonder what it must have been like to walk that distance.
We arrived in Selma around 9am; our first stop was at Brown Chapel AME Church. I learnt that this was the starting place of the 1965 march for voting rights. I also learnt that when African Americans were being violently beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, it was Brown Chapel AME Church that a lot of them ran back to in order to seek refuge. After we left the Church we then got the opportunity to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge as a group in two by two formation. This was a powerful experience for me because as I walked along the bridge I began to recall all of history that happened right where I was walking. It really brought to life all the things I had previously learnt about in history class and gave it a stronger meaning for me. I thought about all of the news footage and photographs that I’ve seen documenting the police brutality that took place on that bridge. I tried to imagine what I must have felt like to be on that bridge back then. All in all I like the above image that I have of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, partly because there wasn't much time for me to capture it as I was at the front of our group as we crossed the bridge. I also like the image because of the really strong shadows that are present on the road. I can't help but think about all that went before.
