Signing of Voting Rights Act re-enacted

STAFF REPORT

More than 100 youths and adults attended a re-enactment Monday of the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 during a celebration marking the 42nd anniversary of the landmark legislation at Songs of Selma Park.

Attendees braved soaring afternoon temperatures, celebrating just feet away from the site where peaceful marchers seeking the right to vote were attacked, and media disseminated images that shocked the consciousness of America.

The late President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on Aug. 6, 1965, directly as a result of what happened in Selma several months earlier on Bloody Sunday. The party, organizers said, was held at &8220;the birthplace of equality.&8221;

The National Voting Rights Museum & Institute sponsored the celebration, complete with birthday cake, and a performance by the Selma Renaissance Children’s Choir.