BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SR 14|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SR 14
Author: Hall (D)
Introduced:2/26/15
Vote: Majority
SUBJECT: Bloody Sunday
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This resolution commemorates the 50th anniversary of
the Voting Rights Movement and the passage of the Voting Rights
Act of 1965; and commemorates March 7, 2015, in honor of the
Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround
Tuesday, or the final Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March
during March of 1965, which served as a catalyst for the Voting
Rights Act of 1965.
ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1.On March 7, 1965, over 500 voting rights marchers, known as
Foot Soldiers, gathered on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma,
Alabama, in peaceful protest of the denial of their most
sacred and constitutionally protected right-the right to vote.
Led by John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee and Rev. Hosea Williams of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference, these Foot Soldiers began the march
towards the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama.
2.As the Foot Soldiers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they
were confronted by a wall of Alabama state troopers who
brutally attacked and beat them. Americans across the country
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witnessed this tragic turn of events as news stations
broadcast the brutality on a day that would be later known as
Bloody Sunday.
3.Two days later, on Tuesday, March 9, 1965, nearly 2,500 Foot
Soldiers led by Dr. Martin Luther King risked their lives once
more and attempted a second peaceful march starting at the
Edmund Pettus Bridge. This second attempted march was later
known as Turnaround Tuesday. Fearing for the safety of these
Foot Soldiers who received no protection from federal or state
authorities during this second march, Dr. King led the
marchers to the base of the Edmund Pettus Bridge and stopped.
Dr. King kneeled and offered a prayer of solidarity and walked
back to the church.
4.On March 21, 1965, under the court order, the U.S. Army, the
federalized Alabama National Guard, and countless federal
agents and marshals escorted nearly 8,000 Foot Soldiers from
the start of their heroic journey in Selma, Alabama to their
safe arrival on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol
Building on March 25, 1965.
5.The extraordinary bravery and sacrifice these Foot Soldiers
displayed in pursuit of a peaceful march from Selma to
Montgomery brought national attention to the struggle for
equal voting rights, and served as the catalyst for Congress
to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which President Johnson
signed into law on August 6, 1965.
This resolution commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Voting
Rights Movement and the passage of the Voting Rights Act of
1965; and commemorates March 7, 2015, in honor of the Foot
Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday,
or the final Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March during
March of 1965.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:NoLocal: No
SUPPORT: (Verified3/3/15)
SR 14
Page 3
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Sacramento Chapter of the Links, Incorporated
Prepared by:Jonas Austin / SFA / (916) 651-1520
3/4/15 15:44:40
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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