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About a thousand people marched from the Capitol to a downtown St. Paul church Sunday in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" in Selma, Alabama.


On that day, hundreds of unarmed voting rights marchers were attacked by state and county officers in Selma. Many were injured and the event put a national spotlight on civil rights and led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In St. Paul, speakers talked about Bloody Sunday's impact.

"While we commemorate this great Selma to Montgomery, Alabama march, we cannot forget our rights are not yet secured. The ongoing struggle for civil rights continues," said St. Paul civil rights activist Yusef Mgeni.
 

Mgeni says the country has gone backwards in some areas. He pointed to shootings of unarmed black men during confrontations with police, segregation in cities and high incarceration rates among people of color.


Other speakers included state Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey.

 
"The work of the civil rights foot soldiers in Selma is a constant reminder that our rights and responsibilities as citizens in the American experiment  must be taken on by every subsequent generation for our country to endure," Lindsey said.


Lindsey called for action to expand accessibility to voting, increase wages and address disparities in the justice system.

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Peter Cox

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About a thousand people marched from the Capitol to a downtown St. Paul church Sunday in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama.

Minnesota marchers commemorate Selma's 'Bloody Sunday'

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