Remembering Selma's Bloody Sunday.

 

This week saw the tragedy of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. To learn about the Selma voting rights movement of 1964-1965 is to learn the quintessential components of the American Civil Rights Movement. For example, in Selma's history, you learn about major institutions involved in voting rights, divisions in those organizations, the power of the legal system, Presidential support, reactionary opposition, courageous protesters, a noble, just cause, and a victory. The groups that supported the Selma Voting Rights movement are the SCLC, DCVL, and SNCC. The DCVL and the SCLC were in use of basic leadership, some were older, and they were just as dedicated as more independent civil rights leaders. SNCC was more decentralized, more youth-driven, and had members like John Lewis, Kwame Ture, James Forman, Parthia Hall, Bernard Lafeyette, etc. After Reconstruction, a white racist capitalist aristocracy enacted suppressive voting laws and other Jim Crow apartheid policies that harmed the rights of black Americans. There were lynchings, rapes, and murders enacted by the Klan. Much of the Klan infiltrated local governments, the police, and even state legislatures. Therefore, African Americans had to use civil disobedience, protests, and in many cases, outright self-defense (like the Deacons of Defense and Robert F. Williams did in the 1960s) to counteract tyranny. Let's be very clear to mention that Jim Crow was tyranny and fascism period. This movement was headed by black people, and many allies of every color joined this movement too. Many white people, Asian people, Latino people, and Native Americans were in support of our rights as black people.

Amelia Boynton and others led a first march on March 7, 1965. They were met with state troopers and county possemen. This was Bloody Sunday when police and vigilantes attacked 600 unarmed protesters with batons and tear gas. They beat women and even children. Lewis was hit on the head, and Amelia Boynton was unconscious from the beatings by police barbarians. Outrage was worldwide. The events of Bloody Sunday were so unjust that President Lyndon Baines Johnson went on national television to desire a federal voting rights bill. It was a tough time. Yet people stood up and the courts allowed protesters to march from Selma to Montgomery. Rev. James Reeb and Viola Liuzzo lost their lives in fighting the same voting rights that we are still fighting today. 61 years later, we have many states (not just in the South but in the Midwest too) that have voter suppression laws (including banning people form giving voters water in line), GOP plans for ICE to monitor voting sites, and Trump wanting mail in voting banned. It's irony that we have more voting rights in 1965 than in 2026, because the federal 1965 Voting Rights Act has been heavily gutted by the United States Supreme Court. We are reminded that freedom must be fought for from generation to the next generation. We can't take our civil liberties and our human rights for granted. Protecting and strengthening our voting rights and our human rights in general is a prescription for our liberation.

Some breaking news is that Trump has fired Kristi Noem, who was the head of the Department of Homeland Security. She has been in a discussion in Congress on Tuesday about immigration issues. Noem oversaw the corrupt policies from the Trump administration. It has been a tumultuous year of 2025, including 2026. We have ICE and the DHS showing some of the regressive policies involving the treatment of immigrants in decades. Trump said that he would get Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma. Mullins is a faithful MAGA follower. Mullin has to deal with a confirmation process by the Senate. Noem lived through how Americans were illegally detained, in some cases after showing IDs. The federal government has been caught killing two Americans. Kristi Noem has a new job in the Trump administration. She will be an Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. Trump is not withdrawing his massive deportation policies; he refuses to end ICE, and he supports massive militarized police occupation of our American cities and towns. The courts stopped Kristi Noem from shipping many people overseas. Patel, Bondi, and other Trump administration cabinet members want to promote Trump's lawless agenda.

I found out that Dwayne Demetri Artis (b. 1960) is my 5th cousin. He married Sandra Jackson (b. 1965) on April 4, 1986, in Newport News, Virginia. His parents are Otis Lee Artis (1927-1999) and Lizzie Olethia Warren. The parents of Otis Lee Artis were Willie Artis (1902-1978) and Claudie Artis (b. 1904). Otis Lee Artis and Claudie Artis' children are Dwayne Demetri Artis, Elder Darryl Artis, and Keith Artis. At the time of his passing, Otis Lee Artis had six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, one step-grandchild, and three daughters-in-law: Trina Artis, Cheryle Artis, and Sandra Artis. The parents of my 3rd cousin Willie Artis were Ivy Artis (b. 1883) and Ida Williams Artis (1883-1963). The parents of my 2nd cousin Ida Williams Artis were Mary L. Williams (1855-1905) and Eddie Drew Kello (1851-1922). The parents of my 1st cousin Mary L. Williams were John Burwell Williams (b. 1815) and Mary Williams (b. 1832). The parents of my 5th great granduncle John Burwell Williams were my 6th greatgrandparents Winifred Woodson-Bozeman (b. 1791) and Burrell Williams.

There has been an increase of Democratic voters deciding the primaries in Texas and California. Jasmine Crockett of Texas did the best that she could in her state of Texas. She lost to James Talarico, a more moderate candidate. Crockett did her best, spoke her mind, refuted the liars about her record, and believes in her causes. There were voting issues in Dallas and Williamson when the Texas Attorney General wanted to separate votes based on the time when votes had been received. There will be a runoff between Corryn and Paxton. Gutierrez of Texas won his Democratic primary. Buckhout won the Republican North Carolina primary. Ager won the Democratic primary of North Carolina. There are other results that shows intraparty debates. On the Republican side, there is the debate on how much each candidate supports the MAGA movement. On the Democratic side, there are debates on which messages work best, on moderate vs. progressive factions, and strategy in growing new voters in a coalition to win elections.

By Timothy