WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Sunday, March 5, 2023, Congressman Rob Menendez concluded his trip to Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, Alabama as a part of the 2023 Faith and Politics Institute Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage. The pilgrimage commemorates the series of marches that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Congressman Menendez joined a diverse and distinguished Congressional delegation from the 118th Congress led by Rep. Terri Sewell and Assistant Leader Jim Clyburn.
“The pilgrimage was a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the tremendous courage and sacrifice that changed the course of our nation’s history,” said Congressman Rob Menendez. “We must always remember our shared responsibility to address the injustices that weigh on our nation and our neighbors. And we cannot relent in our fight to pass legislation that protects and expands the voting rights that so many sacrificed so much for in order to build a fairer and more equal America.”
The pilgrimage included walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to commemorate the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March where state troopers beat nonviolent civil rights activists - also known as “Bloody Sunday” - which occurred on March 7, 1965.
Additionally, the delegation visited civil rights landmarks such as the Bethel Baptist Church of Collegeville, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, the Frank M. Johnson, Jr. Federal Building and Courthouse, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and the First Baptist Church.
