Sunday Bloody Sunday

This Sunday - 42 years ago

On March 7, 1965 civil rights marchers headed east out of Selma. Discrimination and intimidation had prevented Selma's black population, roughly half of the city, from registering to vote. The marchers hoped to bring notice to the violations of their rights by marching to the state capitol in Montgomery.

They made it only as far as the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Alabama State troopers and the local Sheriff's Department, some mounted on horseback, awaited them. In the presence of the news media, they attacked the peaceful demonstrators with billy clubs, tear gas, and bull whips.


Brutal televised images of the attack, which presented people with horrifying images of people left bloodied and severely injured, roused support for the US civil rights movement.

Amelia Robinson was beaten and gassed nearly to death — her photo appeared on the front page of papers and newsmagazines around the world.


Food for thought.

I, as a white, southern, male, law student, in Montgomery, AL almost roll my eyes sometimes when we have at our school yet another civil rights speaker.
Being from a poor white family - attending a public school - paying my way through college with work, loans, and the GI Bill – paying my way through law school on loans - In an era where race related crimes are overwhelmingly not against black people by white people BUT AGAINST white people by black people -
Sometimes I wonder “What does this really all have to do with me?”
This did not happen in my life time. I didn’t profit from the subjugation or poor blacks. My family didn’t own a plantation. We never had slaves. We were dirt poor farmers and laborers.

Then again…
This all happened less than 50 miles from where I now sit. And while it may not have happened in my life time, it certainly happened in the lifetime of many people that I know.

We, as we struggle to become attorneys (and when we do become attorneys), must be aware and constantly vigilant that those in authority will use that authority (and abuse that authority) in ways that take away the very liberties and justice that we set out to secure and defend over 2 and a quarter centuries ago.

This is what we fight. This is what we stand against. This is what we are duty bound to defend against.
This, my friends, is why we learn the law:
To protect the blessings of liberty for all.