

John Lewis Commemorates Selma 50th Anniversary With First-Hand Account On Twitter
March 7, 2015 - 4:47 pm by Iyana Robertson TWITTER
On March 7, 1965, a peaceful protest turned into a violent confrontation with police on the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Then a young man, Congressman John Lewis was among those who sought to march from Selma to Montgomery in the name of voting rights for African-Americans. Leading the demonstration alongside Reverend Hosea Williams, Lewis, along with an estimate of 600 other protesters, were attacked by officers in a showdown that would later be called “Bloody Sunday.”
On the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” – which would serve as a precursor to the march led by Dr. Martin Luther King to Montgomery – Lewis took to Twitter to give a detailed, first-hand account of that fateful day. Complete with black-and-white images, his vivid account ended with a photo of he and President Obama, as he remarked that the nation had come a long way.
“When people tell me nothing has changed, I say come walk in my shoes and I will show you change,” he wrote.
Read John Lewis’ account of the “Bloody Sunday” march below:
50 yrs ago today, we set out to march from Selma to Montgomery to dramatize to the nation that people of color were denied the right to vote
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
Before we left a little church called Brown Chapel AME, we knelt and joined together in prayer. #Selma50 pic.twitter.com/lNuu8VU6bg
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
About 600 of us left Brown Chapel AME to walk in an orderly, peaceful, nonviolent fashion. #Selma50
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
When we got to the apex of the bridge, down below we saw a sea of blue... #Selma50 pic.twitter.com/pI8rIB9K0f
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
... Alabama State Troopers #Selma50 pic.twitter.com/BuPxSRAOOx
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
When we came within hearing distance, a trooper identified himself and said, "I'm Major John Cloud of the Alabama State Troopers" #Selma50
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
He said, "This is an unlawful march. It will not be allowed to continue." #Selma50 pic.twitter.com/pW46cdL5zn
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
"I'll give you three minutes to disperse and return to your homes or to your church." #Selma50 pic.twitter.com/83ccHA99ef
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
The man walking beside me - co-leader of the march Hosea Williams - said "Major, give us a moment to kneel and pray." pic.twitter.com/3fvecGNnq3
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
The Major paused for a minute and then he said, "Troopers advance!" And you saw these men putting on their gas masks. pic.twitter.com/NDAkngX9kE
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
They came toward us beating us with nightsticks, bullwhips, trampling us with horses, releasing the teargas. #Selma50 pic.twitter.com/s9Ey2ZavZA
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
I was hit in the head by a state trooper with a nightstick. My legs went out from under me. #Selma50 pic.twitter.com/AOhJkaUvjz
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
I thought I saw death. I thought I was going to die. #Selma50 pic.twitter.com/AhM8ujpsYi
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
I had a concussion there at the bridge, and I've never been able to recall how we made it back. #Selma50 pic.twitter.com/AsB909DlgX
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015
When people tell me nothing has changed, I say come walk in my shoes and I will show you change. #Selma50 pic.twitter.com/9NvfJdSo8r
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2015