4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, signed into law. Can you spare a minute to become a member today?

“The historical irony is an integral part of the complicated history of Selma — a city known for its pivotal role in Civil War and the civil rights movement.

#MarchOn, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. It is unclear if the state of Alabama will back the name change. ... 110K sign petition to rename Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of ‘Bloody Sunday’ ... “Changing the name of that bridge won’t change hearts. Ivey tweets after Trumps’ coronavirus diagnoses, Joe Biden: ‘We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family’, World markets, oil prices sink after Trump tests positive for virus, Stock futures fall on Trump’s announcement of positive COVID-19 test, Live blog: Trump has ‘mild symptoms’ from coronavirus; Biden tests negative, Read the full statement: Presidential doctor comments on Donald Trump’s positive COVID test, Central AL Forecast: Cool end to the week, weekend warm-up coming, President Trump, first lady Melania Trump test positive for coronavirus, Alabama’s only passenger train service, Amtrak, cuts long-distance rides with revenue down over 80%. "Through the decades, he not only gave all of himself to the cause of freedom and justice, but inspired generations that followed to try to live up to his example," Obama added. On average, we should see highs in the upper 70s to near 80 today, instead we’ll struggle to reach 70 degrees in a lot of places with the coolest spots staying in the upper 60s. pic.twitter.com/gg6n1CyJls.

As we wipe away this country’s long stain of bigotry, we must also wipe away the names of men like Edmund Pettus.”.

Let’s change the image of the bridge from hatred and rename it to memorialize hope and progress. Students UNITE needs your help with “Rename #Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge. Please sign our petition calling on Selma and Alabama leaders and the National Park Service to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Every so often, like this month, we will get the unique occurrence of 2 full moons. "We will forever remember his heroism and his enduring legacy.". A current online petition calls for renaming the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma for U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights activist from Alabama who was among those beaten at the bridge while marching for voting rights on “Bloody Sunday,” March 7, 1965. He is now a Democratic congressman representing Georgia’s 5th District, and is in his 17th term, having served since 1987. That depends on historical perspective when it comes to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Today we ask you to help keep Change.org free and independent.

We cannot become weary. Petition to Rename Alabama Bridge Honoring KKK Leader After John Lewis Hits 500,000 Signatures | U.S. Congressional Black Caucus Chair to Trump: Don't React to John Lewis' Death, John Lewis speaks to the crowd at the Edmund. Selma is currently 80% African American, with a black mayor and majority African American local city officials. Fifty years ago, the Voting Rights Movement marched through Selma and over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Cooler Friday. Expect a cool morning for Saturday with lows in the low and mid 40s, but highs will rebound back into the low 70s tomorrow afternoon. On March 7, 1965, hundreds of nonviolent protesters attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery for their right to vote. A change has come to America!

A Democratic political strategist is pushing for the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, to be renamed for the late Rep. John Lewis, who marched across the span when he was a young civil rights… Hence, the name, "Harvest moon" was born. An online petition started last week calls for renaming the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma for U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights activist from Alabama … Lewis announced on Dec. 29 he is battling stage four pancreatic cancer. Temperatures warm a bit more on Sunday staying sunny. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. We need to also continue to reach out to state officials in Alabama as well as federal officials in Washington to make this happen. Thank you for making your voice heard. The Harvest Moon is the first full moon after the Autumnal Equinox. U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, who is from Selma, responded to the petition with the following statement: “My friend and mentor, Congressman John Lewis, deserves all the praise and recognition for being the beloved civil rights leader that he is. See why nearly a quarter of a million subscribers begin their day with the Starting 5. Now a petition … We must keep pushing and pulling and find a way to get in the way. The bridge, which was the scene of the Bloody Sunday civil rights march, is named after Edmund Pettus, a former soldier in the Confederate Army who also served as a grand dragon in the Ku Klux Klan. Carl Bowline says changing the name of the bridge would be like rewriting history. "There were many Selmians and Alabamians who were either on the bridge in March 1965, near the vicinity or precipitated the situation that changed this country for the better. In 2015, an effort to rename the bridge the “Journey for Freedom” Bridge got more than 180,000 petition signatures and a resolution passed the Alabama senate. Changing the name of the bridge would change the course of history and compromise the historical integrity of the voting rights movement. Property of America, hope to join in with the Selma community, to start a new beginning by renaming the Edmund Pettus Bridge! During the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery march, there was a movement to change the name.

At this point, we need to change hearts. “They walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, not the Freedom Bridge, not the John Lewis Bridge, not the Terri Sewell Bridge,” Bowline said. Alabama Gov. The petition to rename the bridge for Lewis began circulating Jan. 9 and as of Wednesday morning, Jan. 15, had 4,275 signatures. La personne qui a lancé cette pétition a décidé d'agir. As inheritors of the legacy surrounding the historical events that took place in Selma, we must safeguard that history — good and bad and resist attempts to rewrite it.”, Alabama's iconic civil rights town now the fastest-shrinking city in the state. Four days after the Georgia representative died, the number of people to have signed the petition reached more than half a million. Please make a contribution, of any amount you can afford, to the John Lewis Bridge Project. Edmund Pettus Bridge (Source: WSFA 12 News file photo) Supporters of a name change say it’s time, and they have an online petition with more than 112,000 signatures to back it up. Alisha Johnson started this petition to Public Congressman John Lewis stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday, March 4, 2018, in Selma, Ala., during the annual commemoration of "Bloody Sunday," the day in 1965 when voting rights protesters were attacked by police as they attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Temperatures will range from the mid and upper 70s on Monday to the low 80s by Wednesday. Alabama Lt. Gov. The petition now has more than 113,000 signatures.

Their first march abruptly ended when Lewis and other protesters were confronted by Alabama State Troopers, who beat them. You can unsubscribe at any time. When this happens, the second full moon gets the name "Blue Moon". The bridge is an iconic symbol of the struggle for voting rights in America, and its name is as significant as its imposing structure. Will Ainsworth also tweeted about the president and first lady's diagnoses, encouraging people to join him in prayer for their "quick recovery.". Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Our campaign has received almost 250,000 signatures and has been supported by Alabama Senator Doug Jones, Alabama Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-7), Oscar-winning director Ava DuVernay, actress and director Kerry Washington and former United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power. “The best way we can honor John is by rededicating ourselves to restoring the full protections of the VRA (Voting Rights Act) of 1965 and fighting to get H.R. Brenda Jones, communications director for Lewis, said Lewis did not have any immediate comment on the effort. “It’s far past time to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge after Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon that nearly gave his life on that bridge,” petition organizer Michael Starr Hopkins said in a statement.

Full moons occur ever 28 days, thus, we generally only have one full a month. A petition calling for the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, to be renamed after John Lewis has reached more than 500,000 signatures in the wake of the civil rights hero's death. In just a few days, almost 250,000 people have signed our petition to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge after civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis.

But as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were met by Alabama state troopers and deputized civilians who were armed with billy clubs, tear gas, and cattle prods and attacked the marchers and drove them back to Brown Chapel Church. Obama awarded Lewis the presidential medal of freedom in 2011. Sewell also opposed the effort to rename the bridge in 2015. Ava DuVernay, director of the 2014 film Selma which documented the civil rights marches led by Lewis, Martin Luther King and others, was one of the high-profile figures to show support for the name change. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WKRG) -- Alabama governor Kay Ivey has shared her thoughts and prayers with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump following the President's announcement of their positive coronavirus tests early Friday morning. Property of America, hope to join in with the Selma community, to start a new beginning by renaming the Edmund Pettus Bridge! Next week, the warm up continues as flow in the atmosphere turns more from west to east, instead of the northerly, cool flow we’ll see over the weekend. So we’re asking: Please make a contribution — of any amount — to help us change the name of the Edmund Pettus Bridge to the John Lewis Bridge. John was not the only one," Chestnut told The Associated Press. "Edmund Pettus was a bitter racist, undeserving of the honor bestowed upon him," Hopkins writes on the change.org description page. The bridge was the site of “Bloody Sunday”. Prince Chestnut, whose district 67 includes Selma, called Lewis "a great and noble man" but believes renaming the bridge after him is "not appropriate.". Renaming the bridge in Selma is thoughtfully symbolic, but passing a law that protects the rights of all Americans to vote is the ultimate action that furthers the legacy of Congressman John Lewis.”. If everyone who saw this chipped in monthly we'd secure Change.org's future today. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. We’ve been used to these cool temperatures that the warmer numbers we’ll feel next week are actually average for the early part of October. Lewis, who died on July 17 at the age of 80, had his skull fractured by police during the first of the marches in Selma in 1965. Petition To Rename ‘Bloody Sunday’ Bridge For John Lewis Nabs Over 460,000 Signatures The Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, is named after a Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan leader. Former President Barack Obama also paid tribute to Lewis, describing him as a man who "loved this country so much that he risked his life and his blood so that it might live up to its promise. Rename #Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. Lewis was born the son of sharecroppers on Feb. 21, 1940, outside Troy. It's A New Decade!

While a magnanimous gesture, such a symbolic effort, at this moment, when John is in the fight of his life, is not what he needs. This is not the first time there has been a wave of support to change the name of the bridge. But he never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country might do.