To the Editor:

Oh, what a sad day in Alabama (Selma). People were not paid to be killed, beat, stumped on, spit on, dragged, hosed down. Nor were they paid to be able to vote, eat wherever they wanted to. They weren’t paid to drink out of the fountain. Neither were they paid to have a bathroom that says, “Whites Only.”

They weren’t paid to sit in the back of the bus, or see doctor’s offices that said, “Whites Only.”

In saying this, too, I say that it’s a shame that so many people lost their lives for us, both black and white.

So why do we have to pay for this Bloody Sunday march?

Selma is a small town, with no jobs, no industry, or what have you. All we can do is try day by day for the struggle of survival.

We don’t have bus service. We don’t even have a movie theater. We have nothing in Selma.

Some of us do not have a decent home. The ones who do, they are using it to their advantage.

To live, we must have a decent income.

The fact of the matter is this town is filled with greed! The money that’s charged for entrance to this Bloody Sunday festival could be spent to help some homeless person or feed the hungry.

We have gotten away from the basics and the real reality of how and who started these profound injustices.

In all reality, it helps no one.

Market Day is charging only a couple of dollars.

We need to get back to reality. There are lots of people who would like to go to this festival, but cannot afford it. You need to stop this senseless act of charging for the re-enactment of Bloody Sunday.

We have all suffered. We still suffer. So why make us continue to suffer? You sure are not looking out for the betterment of the town. Nor our community.

In closing, you cannot buy your way into the Kingdom of God. Don’t even think so. Some of us have money, and good jobs that pay well. Try paying your way into heaven.

Johnnie Mae Foster