SELMA, ALABAMA - The death of John Lewis on Friday has renewed interest in a campaign to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, the site of a turning point in the fight for civil rights.
Lewis returned to Selma every year to commemorate the anniversary of the march, whose destination was the state capital in Montgomery. The effort to rename the bridge is being driven not only by the death of Lewis, a pioneer of the civil rights movement and long-time member of the United States House of Representatives, but also by the protests against racism and police brutality that have followed the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis in May.
They say the bridge, under its current name, has become a potent symbol of the struggle for civil rights and voting rights. And that's been a name that has passed through generations." Alan Reese, a grandson of the Rev Frederick Reese, a civil rights activist, said many Selma residents, including foot soldiers from the movement who are still living, would not consider a name change unless it were inclusive.
The bridge, which crosses the Alabama River, was dedicated in 1940 and named for Pettus, a lawyer and US senator who was also a decorated Confederate general and a leader of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan.Terri Sewell, Democratic Representative of Alabama, said in a statement that although she understood the desire to honour Lewis' legacy, a decision to rename the bridge should be made locally in Selma.