'Pilgrimage' brings members of Congress to Alabama

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[h=4]'Pilgrimage' brings members of Congress to Alabama[/h]MONTGOMERY, Ala. — U.S. Rep. John Lewis summed up the 15th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama in one word: emotional. The yearly event sees Lewis bring members of Congress from both parties to

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Speaking at a church service commemorating the 50th anniversary of 'Bloody Sunday' in Selma, Alabama, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder pledged to keep fighting for equality and urged fellow Americans to do the same. VPC


Members of Congress participate in a silent walk from the Alabama state Capitol. The Faith and Politics Institute's 2015 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama came to Montgomery on Sunday, March 8, 2015.(Photo: Shannon Heupel, Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser)


MONTGOMERY, Ala. — U.S. Rep. John Lewis summed up the 15th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama in one word: emotional.
The yearly event sees Lewis bring members of Congress from both parties to Alabama to learn about the sites of the civil rights movement. An original Freedom Rider and one of the victimized marchers in what became known as "Bloody Sunday," Lewis knows the stories of the movement firsthand.
That's why Lewis, standing at a podium in front of the Alabama state Capitol, stated the weekend was an emotional one.
USA TODAY
Selma marchers say much remains to be done



"I was a member of Congress before I ever stepped foot in this Capitol," Lewis said.
The Georgia Democrat said he remembered walking down Dexter Avenue in 1965, past the Dexter Avenue Church where the Rev. Martin Luther King held services. On Sunday, he and other members of Congress passed the same church on their way to the Southern Poverty Law Center for a wreath-laying ceremony.
In an image that shows how much has changed in five decades, Lewis walked Saturday locked in arms with Peggy Wallace Kennedy — the daughter of George Wallace, who was governor of Alabama at the time of Selma-to-Montgomery marches. It was Wallace who ordered the Alabama State troopers to break up the March 7, 1965, march.

Members of Congress gather around the the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Ala., after a silent walk from the state Capitol. The Faith and Politics Institute's 2015 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama came to Montgomery on Sunday, March 8, 2015.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Shannon Heupel, Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser)

"I was appreciative and very grateful," Lewis said about walking with Wallace Kennedy. "What she said was very moving — it made me cry."
Wallace Kennedy spoke of her father's past, realizing as an adult that it would be up to her to try to make things right.
"I want to do something my father never did and recognize John Lewis for his humanity, his dignity and for being a child of God," Wallace Kennedy said. "And I want to stand here and say to him 'Welcome home.' "
USA TODAY
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Those in attendance for the march included Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Martha Roby, R-Ala.
Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said it was appropriate for the Civil Rights Memorial to be the final stop on Sunday's pilgrimage as it is meant to be a symbol of a final resting spot for those who died during the movement.
To bring viewers closer to the events in Selma, USA TODAY is filming in full 360-degree video. In the special player below, take a virtual march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge by clicking and dragging your mouse to rotate the panorama left or right.
"We are honored to have them here today and we stress the importance of honoring history but to also live out the ideals of those we honor," Cohen said.
A highlight of Sunday's speeches came from Juanita Abernathy — the widow of the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, who helped plan strategy during civil and voting rights campaigns. She brought the audience to their feet numerous times, speaking of her experiences, praising how things have changed but cautioning that there is still work to do.
"We have come a long way, but we still have a long, long way to go," she said.
At one point she said she "wanted to be a little arrogant" and brag on Alabama. She said that, as the center of the voting rights movement, Alabama "saved America from herself."
"And those of us who are in this state, we must stick our shoulders up high, and our backs back and our heads up high because we have contributed tremendously to making democracy a reality in the United States of America and I'm just so proud to be a representative of the State of Alabama."
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