Tag Archives: RIP

Rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge

Surely any visitor here is familiar with the infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where state troopers notoriously beat Civil Rights protesters on Bloody Sunday, March 7th, 1965, including the recently deceased John Lewis, conscience of Congress for the 17 terms he served, representing us Georgians in the House. Lewis was the first to be beaten on Bloody Sunday, suffering a fractured skull,

Now there is a movement to rename the bridge in Lewis’ honor, amidst a larger movement to rethink and rename public honors, such as statues, streets, schools, and mascots. There are two petitions in support of this movement.

Call to action: I ask that you sign both petitions to rename the bridge. The first is at https://johnlewisbridge.com/, which also provides information on the current namesake, Edmund Pettus, a hateful racist, avid defender of slavery, opponent of Reconstruction, and KKK “Grand Wizard”, as well as history of the bridge itself.

The second is at Change.org, a site where anyone can create petitions for their cause: https://www.change.org/p/governor-of-alabama-rename-the-edmund-pettus-bridge-after-rep-john-lewis.

RIP John Lewis

Today we are grieving the loss of longtime member of Congress and personal hero Representative John Lewis of Georgia, as well as celebrating his life and tremendous contributions to American civil rights. I’m sure most of you are well aware of his work both in the Civil Rights Movement and in Congress, where he served as a conscience for the body, speaking to colleagues about the effects legislation and policy could and did have on Americans, especially his constituents in Atlanta. Continue reading RIP John Lewis