KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM)- In an effort to commemorate one of the milestone dates in the Civil Rights movement, dozens marched in Kalamazoo Sunday.
One day before the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, which happened March 7, 1965, the local demonstrators also called for additional measures against voter discrimination.
In 1965 about 600 people were marching from Selma, Alabama, to the state capitol in Montgomery to call for equal voting rights for African Americans. After the demonstrators marched across Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were beaten by state troopers and deputies. The beating left 17 people hospitalized and dozens more hurt.
Bloody Sunday march in Kalamazoo, MI March 6, 2022 (photo courtesy of Troy Robertson)
Sunday’s 1.5 mile march ended at the Douglass Community Association for the rally. Elected officials, community leaders, and others called on Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, the former named after late civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis.
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