UUA President to Co-Lead Commemorative Voting Rights March

Retracing the Struggle

On October 30th you and members of your congregation and friends can be part of history. The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities is helping to present "Retracing the Struggle: The Legacy of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ." The Retracing the Struggle for Voting Rights Act March  will re-enact the march from Selma to Montgomery that initiated the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  In the aftermath of the violent assault on peaceful marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge on "Bloody Sunday," hundreds of UU ministers and laity answered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s call to come to Selma. In the following days and weeks, James Reeb, a UU minister, and Viola Gregg Liuzzo, a UU from Detroit, MI, would sacrifice their lives for the cause of civil rights. In commemoration of that historic march and as a reminder that the struggle for equality in voter rights still exists, Congressman John Lewis of Georgia and UUA President Bill Sinkford will be leading the commemorative 2.5 mile march from Dudley Square to the Boston Common.

The United States Constitution gives all citizens the right to vote. Issues around voting rights continue to exist, including providing citizens who do not speak English as a first language the translated materials they need in order for them to make an informed decision, and insuring the legitimacy of all votes made with new technology.

Several provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 are up for reauthorization in 2007 . The importance of seeing that all people are included in our voting system has never been more important – or timely. This is an historic event that Unitarian Universalist congregations will want to be part of as we step forward and march together in witness for justice. Register for the march , or find answers to some frequently asked questions .

On October 29, a Symposium on Voting Rights and Electoral Politics Today will be held at Boston College featuring Pulitzer Prize winning author Taylor Branch and former Senator Harris Wofford. Congressman John Lewis and professor Abigail Thernstrom will participate in other symposia that day moderated by writers include Newsweek's Mark Whittaker (details ). That evening, a dinner will be held that honors the role of The Atlantic Monthly in promoting civil rights. Taylor Branch will deliver the keynote for the dinner.

A teach-in with events leading up to the march weekend will be held on October 20 and October 27 at Suffolk Law School and Freedom House.

All events in the "Retracing the Struggle weekend are co-sponsored by organizations including the Unitarian Universalist Association, the UU Urban Ministry, and Kings Chapel.

For further information:

• Press release on "Retracing the Struggle" events
• Download the March flyer 

Unitarian Universalist Association
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