Ala. Senate votes to rename Edmund Pettus Bridge, sparking controversy over revising history

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June 3, 2015

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Senate on Wednesday approved a resolution to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which was famously crossed by civil rights activists on “Bloody Sunday” in 1965, the “Journey to Freedom Bridge.”

When protesters, including Martin Luther King, Jr. came back despite the violence, crossing the bridge, named for Edmund Pettus, a Confederate general, Grand Dragon of the Alabama KKK, and Democratic Senator, has historically been lauded as one of the most beautifully ironic symbols of the civil rights movement.

Alabama state senator Hank Sanders (D-Selma) sponsored the resolution, which is believed to be binding if it passes both houses.

“There are many things in our society to change that are more significant than the name of a bridge,” the resolution reads, “but removing this vestige of the past will serve as a parallel to the ongoing journey towards equal rights, fair representation and open opportunity.”

Yellowhammer CEO Cliff Sims spoke out against the renaming of the bridge on his radio program Wednesday, calling it an attempt to “whitewash” Alabama’s history.

“How awesome is it that the march for freedom — both literally and figuratively — for so many black Americans went right over a bridge named after a KKK leader?” He asked rhetorically. “Good overcame evil. That’s powerful symbolism. Instead, we’re apparently going to whitewash our history and rename it ‘The Journey to Freedom Bridge.’ Nothing could ever take away from the courage displayed by the people who crossed that bridge — and it truly was a ‘journey to freedom’ — but political correctness annoys me to no end.”

The Alabama Legislature has only two more legislative days in the 2015 Regular Session. The resolution still needs to be passed by the House in that short timeframe and signed by the governor before it can go into effect.