On the recordMarch 11, 2015
on Monday I gave a statement on the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Voting Rights Act. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record President Obama's remarks from the commemoration. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Remarks by the President at the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Marches Edmund Pettus Bridge Selma, Alabama THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know I love you back. It is a rare honor in this life to follow one of your heroes. And John Lewis is one of my heroes. Now, I have to imagine that when a younger John Lewis woke up that morning 50 years ago and made his way to Brown Chapel, heroics were not on his mind. A day like this was not on his mind. Young folks with bedrolls and backpacks were milling about. Veterans of the movement trained newcomers in the tactics of non-violence; the right way to protect yourself when attacked. A doctor described what tear gas does to the body, while marchers scribbled down instructions for contacting their loved ones. The air was thick with doubt, anticipation and fear.…
