Joseph Lawson
Joseph Lawson
On March 7, a one-of-a-kind event took place in Delaware. A youth-led group, supported by local adults, marched across the Indian River bridge in a nonpartisan event to honor and commemorate the life and work of civil rights pioneer John Lewis. Even more amazing is that these young people both came up with this idea and worked to take it from what might have seemed an impossible fantasy to a reality.
March 7 was the 66th anniversary of the John Lewis-led march of the Selma bridge, aka Bloody Sunday. That march is credited as leading to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits discrimination from voting on the basis of race. By doing so, it changed America. Or so was the hope. The fact is that voting was then and continues to be one of the most controversial and divisive issues in America.
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Thursday, March 11, 2021
Students from Cape Henlopen High School and its Multi-faith Youth Group are organizing the John Lewis Indian River Inlet Bridge Walk, to be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m., Sunday, March 7.
This nonpartisan, youth-led walk across the Indian River Inlet bridge will mark the anniversary of the 1965 walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge led by members of the civil rights movement including the late Rep. Lewis in Selma, Ala., on the same date to protest voter suppression. The walk was part of the effort that ultimately led to passage of the 1966 Voting Rights Act.
This idea was born after a group of multi-faith teens viewed the documentary ‘Good Trouble’ based on John Lewis extraordinary life in public service, said Rylie Maedler, one of the walk organizers. Although much progress has been made since the ‘60s, we are still walking for full equality, to end voter suppression and preserve our democracy.