Voting Rights Museum plans vigil

Published 2:25 pm Tuesday, November 4, 2008

No matter the outcome of the election, history will be made.

For the first time, either a woman or a man of color will hold one of the highest ranking offices in the United States. It was only in the 20th century that both of these groups received their voting rights from the government. The voting rights struggle in Selma was a major force in making this historic moment possible.

In honor of all those people who sacrificed and died in the voting rights movement, a celebration is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Tabernacle Baptist Church, where the first mass meeting was held during the movement.

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The invited speakers to give reflections will be Amelia Boynton-Robinson, who began working on voting rights in the South during the 1940s, and the Rev. F.D. Reese, who is credited with inviting the Rev. Dr. M.L. King to Selma in the 1960s.

There will also be a candlelight vigil on the Edmund Pettus Bridge at 8 p.m., following the celebration at the church. An election return watching party will be held at the Gathering Place, next to the National Voting Rights Museum.

The events are sponsored by the National Voting Rights Museum and the Grassroots Democracy Commission.