Honor the legacy of Rep. John Lewis.
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The title of today's newsletter should say "honor the legacy of Rep. John Lewis, and C.T. Vivian, and the civil rights leaders of generations past and present that, among so much more, advocated for all voices to be heard at the polls". But this email analyzes specifically how we can respond to the outpouring of love and support for one person with actions that center the perspectives and legacy of many.
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TAKE ACTION
1. Contact your state senator to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act (you can text "Senate" to 50409 to send a message directly from your phone).
2. Sign the petition to rename the Edmund Pettis Bridge.
3. Find the closest landmark (street, highway, bridge, etc) to your home and review:
What is the landmark named after?
What story does it say about the community you're a part of?
Which voices does it elevate? Which voices may be minimized in the process?
GET EDUCATED
On Friday, July 17, 2020, prominent civil rights activist and politician Rep. John Lewis died after a battle with cancer. Read more about his life at CBS News, tributes from his sister and dear friend / civil rights fellow at Alabama News and NYTimes, respectively, and tribute from President Barack Obama).
His death, along with protests over the two months, re-ignited conversations about renaming the bridge where one of the most prominent civil rights events happened. (Although the petition mentioned in today’s action was created months ago, it’s important to note that people have been advocating for change for years, including another Change.org petition created by a student-led organization that received nearly 200,000 signatures over five years ago).
On Sunday March 7, 1965, hundreds of protestors, led by Lewis and Reverend Hosea Williams, participated in a nonviolent civil rights march through Selma, but were met with violence from state troopers who assailed them with tear gas and clubs when they stopped to pray. The photos of the protestors being beaten by police, including Lewis, who suffered from a fractured skull among other injuries, were circulated widely in the days and weeks following, prompting national outcry and more demonstrations. This monumental day, referred to as "Bloody Sunday," accelerated the passing of the Voting Rights Act in August that year (Politico).
But the bridge where the incident occurred, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, is named after a decorated Confederate general and a leader in the Alabama Ku Klux Klan (Smithsonian Magazine). His family, who ran a plantation and enslaved Black people, profited greatly from slavery. But his views on slavery and the Confederacy were rooted in white supremacy. As he gained recognition, first as a general in the war, then as a chairman of the state delegation to the Democratic National Convention and Grand Dragon of the KKK, Pettus was considered a “living testament to the power of whites to sculpt a society modeled after slave society” says University of Alabama history professor John Giggie (Smithsonian Magazine).
Pettus died in 1907, but the bridge wasn’t erected and named until 33 years later (remember our previous newsletter on how many Confederate symbols were erected long after the end of the Confederacy). Ironically, the bridge at the time was celebrated as “the answer to ‘The March of Progress,’ a reference to The Road to Homo Sapiens image that simplifies the evolution of man (Smithsonian Magazine). I doubt that anyone at that time expected the bridge to represent an entirely different type of march towards justice and equity for the people systemically oppressed by white supremacy.
“If the bridge is being so heavily identified with the black freedom struggle, we should be able to appreciate how much of an act of reclamation this is. People need to know that”.
Jelani Cobb, American writer, author and educator, for Smithsonian Magazine
Although the petition for the rename is gathering national attention, local leaders aren’t in agreement. Some people feel the name needs to stay – whether to encourage visitors to continue learning the area’s deep history, or simply because the bridge’s name has transcended the man it shares the name with (NYTimes).
“The name Edmund Pettus no longer is about Edmund Pettus from the Civil War, from the Confederacy. The Edmund Pettus Bridge is now a staple and symbol of civil rights and voting equity, as well as voting rights. It’s a symbol of hope, of freedom. And that’s been a name that has passed through generations”.
Collins Pettaway III, a political communications specialist and Selma native, for the NYTimes
Others advocate for renaming the bridge, but not after the late Rep. John Lewis. Some feel that this action would minimize the impact of local civil rights activists that were critical to the movement. Some call for the bridge to honor leaders like Amelia Boynton Robinson, a prominent civil rights activist who was also on the bridge during ‘Bloody Sunday,’ or Jimmie Lee Jackson, whose brutal death during a peaceful voting rights march in February 1965 sparked the marches that defined the movement (Alabama News). Rep. Prince Chestnut notes that he hasn’t spoken with a single local survivor of the attack who supports renaming the bridge for Lewis, but is in favor of “Bloody Sunday Bridge” or “Historic Selma Bridge” (Associated Press). A local group was organized to make sure the residents of Selma are heard.
A more fitting way for us to take action in honor of Rep. John Lewis is to protect the voting rights that were established in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 but reversed in the June 2013 ruling of Shelby County v. Holder. Since then, 24 states have implemented new restrictions on voting that make it difficult for many, particularly marginalized communities, from exercising their right to vote. Although the Voting Rights Advancement Act was passed by the House in December 2019 to restore more equitable practices, the bill is still stalled in the Senate. We’ve discussed this issue in full in our June 24th issue of the Anti-Racism Daily – please read to gather more perspective of this issue.
Today’s action includes signing the petition because we believe it may encourage whatever change the local community decides. But regardless of whether the bridge is renamed, and what it is ultimately called, that action is only part of how we can honor the legacy of the late Rep. John Lewis and the other civil rights activists that risked their lives that day. Our right to vote is still tenuous, and access to the ballot this November is critical for civil rights. Regardless of its name, let’s ensure the bridge is symbolic of the change we’re committed to protecting for generations to come.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The bridge that acted as the stage for "Bloody Sunday" is named after a Confederate general and KKK leader
Although national attention calls for the bridge to be renamed to honor the late Rep. John Lewis, local leaders say otherwise
Changing the name is part of a larger initiative to take down Confederacy statues and symbols
We must protect the voting rights that Lewis and other civil rights activists fought for decades ago
The Voting Rights Advancement Act, which aims to restore voting rights lost in 2013, is still stalled in Senate
Related Issues
June 29, 2020 | Don't vote for Trump.
June 25, 2020 | Fight voter suppression.
June 18, 2020 | Take down Confederate symbols.
June 17, 2020 | Learn about the history of lynching in America.
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