The following is from Rep. Jennifer Wexton, who by the way is doing a great job so far…such a huge improvement over former Rep. Barbara Comstock, it’s such a relief every day to see this change in action!
Today we marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, following the footsteps of those who faced violence and sometimes death for the civil rights movement.
What happened here, on Bloody Sunday, changed America forever.
But the work is far from complete. After the march from Selma to Montgomery, Dr. King said, “Let us therefore continue our triumphant march to the realization of the American Dream.”
We honor the sacrifices that ordinary Americans made in their quest for justice and equality by recommitting ourselves in the fight for what’s right.
“The time is always right to do what is right”
Our nation and Virginia has a long legacy of racism and racial violence.
On the Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama, I’ve come to see this legacy as a tragedy in three parts.
First came slavery. Next came the era of Jim Crow and racial terror, and today we find ourselves in an era of mass incarceration and unequal application of the law.
In the words of Congressman John Lewis, “In making pilgrimage to these sacred spaces, we pay tribute to past deeds and recognize the depth of a struggle that continues.”
Our first day of this pilgrimage we’ve visited sites that have been challenging and uplifting.
Confronting the truth about our history is the first step toward recovery and reconciliation.
I will bring these stories and memories with me back to Washington and VA-10, along with a renewed sense of commitment to building an America that is truly equal.
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