Sewell slams effort to ‘compromise historical integrity,’ rename Edmund Pettus Bridge

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June 5, 2015

SELMA, Ala. — A campaign by some Democratic leaders in the state legislature to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge the “Journey to Freedom Bridge” may have found support in the Alabama Senate this week, but Selma native and Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL7) is slamming the proposed change, saying it would “compromise the historical integrity of the voting rights movement.”

“The bridge is an iconic symbol of the struggle for voting rights in America, and its name is as significant as its imposing structure,” Sewell said in a statement to Hill.com.

Named for Edmund Pettus, a Confederate general, Grand Dragon of the Alabama KKK, and Democratic U.S. Senator, the bridge was the site of the “Bloody Sunday” protests where civil rights marchers were beaten for trying to cross it.

Later protesters, including Martin Luther King, Jr., came back despite the violence, crossing the bridge, the demonstration was lauded as one of the most beautifully ironic symbols of the civil rights movement, and is recognized as a significant catalyst of the voting rights act passed later that year.

“There are many things in our society to change that are more significant than the name of a bridge, but removing this vestige of the past will serve as a parallel to the ongoing journey towards equal rights, fair representation and open opportunity,” reads the resolution, sponsored by state Senator Hank Sanders (D-Selma).

Sewell disagreed vehemently with the spirit of the resolution, remarking, “As inheritors of the legacy surrounding the historical events that took place in Selma, we must safeguard that history — good and bad — and resist attempts to rewrite it.”

Yellowhammer CEO Cliff Sims also 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 ended its 2015 sessions Thursday evening without passing the resolution, so it will need to be brought up again at a later date to be considered.