protesters rally – Thousands are expected to converge in Montgomery Saturday for a voting rights protest after a court ruled Alabama’s redistricting maps racially discriminatory.
Montgomery is preparing for thousands of protesters from across the country Saturday as demonstrators push back against Alabama’s use of redistricting maps a court has ruled racially discriminatory.
The action ties the fight back to the Civil Rights Movement: protesters will begin in Selma Saturday morning, cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and then carry that momentum to Montgomery. The main protest is set to start at 1 p.m.
Civil rights and faith leaders organized the demonstration, dubbed “All Roads Lead to the South,” for the National Day of Action for Voting Rights. Organizers say the “Callais decision” could disenfranchise Black and brown voters throughout the South.
Buses have been chartered to bring attendees to Alabama from as far away as Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Jackson, Memphis, Mobile, and Nashville.
Among those leading logistical efforts is Rev.. Dr.. Don Darius Butle. chair of the board of directors for the Children’s Defense Fund and pastor of The Concord Fellowship of Huntsville.. He will bus attendees from Huntsville to Selma early Saturday morning to join a vigil at the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge. before the group marches to Montgomery to join a voting rights rally at the Alabama state capitol building.
“There are moments history will not excuse,” Butler said.. “All Roads Lead to the South names this hour as one that demands moral courage, unflinching presence, and direct action.. Silence will only sustain harm and delay will only deny our collective responsibility.. The time to act is not coming.. It is here.”
Alabama Montgomery Selma Edmund Pettus Bridge redistricting voting rights National Day of Action for Voting Rights Callais decision Children’s Defense Fund Don Darius Butle civil rights protest