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Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02) lead a bipartisan effort with Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) and Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02) to honor and recognize the brave men and women who participated in the marches from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama with a Congressional Gold Medal. The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest civilian award that can be bestowed by Congress in honor of a particular individual, institution, or event in American History. Congressman Huizenga managed the floor on behalf of House Republicans during this momentous occasion. H.R. 431 overwhelmingly passed the House this evening by a vote of 420 to 0.

Rep Huizenga:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this very important bill, H.R. 431, a bipartisan bill, to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the “Foot Soldiers,” the courageous men and women who participated in “Bloody Sunday,” “Turnaround Tuesday,” or the final March from Selma to Montgomery to ensure voting rights for African Americans.

Mr. Speaker, sometimes it’s hard for people in today’s society to realize the historical significance of the events that took place in the past.  For younger people it may seem like a lifetime ago, but for those who lived through the experience it can seem like it just happened yesterday.  One series of events that we cannot and must not allow to fade away are the historic marches that began in Selma in 1965. 

On March 7, 1965, led by two fearless men the Rev. Hosea Williams, and a man many of us in this chamber know well, Rep. John Lewis, 500 of those brave Foot Soldiers determined to have their voices heard and their right to vote recognized, as they lined up at the Edmund Pettus Bridge.  These initial marchers were then brutally assaulted and beaten by Alabama State Troopers as they attempted to cross the bridge seeking to assert their Constitutional Right to vote.  This atrocity became known as “Bloody Sunday.”

Two days later, nearly 2,500 Foot Soldiers led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. peacefully assembled and again attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The group marched to where the attacks occurred on “Bloody Sunday” and at Dr. King’s request they stopped and knelt in prayer. Following the prayer the marchers turned around and returned to Selma. 

Finally, on March 21 under the protection of the U.S. Army, federal marshals, and the federalized Alabama National Guard, that group had swollen to 8,000 Foot Soldiers who were escorted safely for 54 miles from Selma to Montgomery. By the time the march had reached the steps of the state capitol the group had grown to approximately 25,000 people strong in Montgomery.

Mr. Speaker, instead of bringing the campaign in search of voting rights to a halt, fifty years ago the photographs and blurry television images of that violent attack on “Bloody Sunday” galvanized the nation’s attention. In fact, the first march was a catalyst for action.  Just five short months after that first march, Congress had passed and President Johnson had signed into law the Voting Rights Act.

Mr. Speaker, we as a nation must do more to ensure voting rights are protected for all Americans and in doing so, we must remember the sacrifices of those individuals who came before us and worked so tirelessly to make a difference and make voting rights equal.

It is a truly a privilege for me personally to stand before you today as Congress recognizes these brave men and women and the historical significance of those marches that began in Selma and forever changed the direction of our great nation.  I thank the gentle lady, Representative Sewell, for highlighting these historic events and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 431 and with that I reserve the balance of my time.