President arrives in Selma to kick off weekend of commemorations

Selma, Ala. (AP) — President Barack Obama has arrived in Selma, Alabama, to join many others in the riverside town for weekend commemorations of the historic march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965.

The nation's first black president is standing in solidarity and remembrance with survivors of the civil rights era.

It was 50 years ago when the police brutality on Black Sunday galvanized America's opposition to racial oppression in the South and hastened passage of historic voting rights.

Obama and his wife, Michelle, are planning to take a ceremonial walk across that bridge after his remarks to the crowd.

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The Gayly – March 7, 2015 @ 1:40pm.