As our nation marked the fiftieth anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, over 60,0000 people converged on the streets of Selma this weekend. They were there to honor the brave men and women who set out in a voting rights march over the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma on March 7, 1965, and were stopped with clubs and tear gas by state troopers in a violent encounter known as Bloody Sunday. The people flooding Selma this year also continued to stand for equal rights and especially voting rights and were welcomed warmly on a bright clear day.

In Indianapolis, hundreds of marchers headed out from Light of the World Church and made their way down to the Statehouse for an energetic rally to commemorate the Selma March and demonstrate that the work of equal justice is not finished.

It is hard to believe that fifty years after Bloody Sunday we have the highest incarceration of black citizens. It is difficult to understand how we no longer have a Voting Rights Act. It is alarming that systemic voter suppression continues to play out in a myriad of ways across the country and in Indiana. It is shameful that we are subjecting communities of color to aggressive policing and discriminatory stop and frisk practices. It is unacceptable that black unemployment is twice the national average.

It is tragic that we have to have any kind of campaign to communicate that #BlackLivesMatter. 

Members of our fusion justice movement, Indiana Moral Mondays, were participating in Selma events in both Indianapolis and Selma today, for equal justice and protections for voters. Forty IMM volunteers headed to Alabama over night to be part of this historic moment, along with hundreds of members of Congress, including Senator Donnelly, Representative André Carson, as well as State Representative Gregory Porter. IMM member and retired UAW member Louis Burgess Jr. was in Selma and was inspired by the enthusiasm shown by all the various groups who came out to participate. He added, "the leadership of the unions at this event was really impressive and I haven't seen that before." The significance of the first African-American President headlining this day was deeply moving. When he saw President Obama arrive over the Edmund Pettus bridge Lewis said, "I got goosebumps. I saw the decoy come over the bridge first, but when I saw the President coming, it was so exciting." 

The large crowds gathered were very inspired by the day and the speakers. One gentleman we met, Kennie Lyons, traveled from Pensacola, Florida, to Selma, to also honor his special connection to the historic event: his grandfather, Earl Richardson, helped to build the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

The civil rights leader Representative John Lewis, who was a marcher on Bloody Sunday, gave a stirring call to action to honor the lost lives, like Jimmie Lee Johnson. President Obama talked about how it is the soul of American to continue to make more perfect our union, and echoing the words of Reverend Barber, that "the single most powerful word in our democracy is the word 'WE.' We the people, we shall overcome, and yes we can. It is owned by no one, it belongs to everyone, oh what a glorious task we are given, to continually try to improve this great nation of ours."

Meanwhile in Indianapolis, IMM volunteers were making their way along the 6 mile march from the Light of the World Church to the Indiana Statehouse to commemorate with those who fought before us, and to renew commitment to fight now for a better future. IMM Executive Committee member Yin Min Kyi was there was very inspired. She said that the day was "to remember those who fought and died in Selma 50 years ago, as an immigrant from Burma, I feel it's also a reminder of those who fought around the world. It's everyone's responsibility to make a better world for those who come after us."

We are marching again, marching still, fifty years later to remind our elected leaders that justice is still being denied and equality a long way off. Our own Indiana General Assembly has failed to pass a single meaningful piece of legislation to improve the lives of people of color yet this session. Legislators refused to hear bills to bar police from racially profiling citizens. They have continued to burden voters with additional challenges to voting, complicating the absentee ballot with proposed SB535 and discouraging student voters to vote at their dormitory address with SB466. SB466 also prevents voters with disabilities from obtaining assistance from caregivers with their absentee applications. Since Indiana fell to 50th place nationally in voter turnout after implementing Voter Identification laws, we have a special obligation to making voting more accessible not less. 

Our constitution and our moral values demand that we do better. The challenge for this generation of civil rights advocates and lawmakers to truly pay tribute to the marchers in Selma fifty years ago is to fight as fiercely to defend the right to vote and to work as tirelessly for the equal justice we have yet to realize. 

We are marching forward together until that day comes.