Civil Rights, Inequality In Selma, Alabama
In January, 1965, approximately 350 blacks marched to the Dallas County Courthouse on Alabama Street, Selma, Alabama to register to vote, a peaceful demonstration to exercise their civil rights yet they were met with police brutality and injustices. The legendary Mahatma Gandhi quoted “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will”. Similarly, the same can be said about the will, determination, and perseverance of several civil rights activists and the people of Selma, Alabama who fought against racial injustices, segregation, and inequality to advance their cause, i.e. voting rights through moral suasion. Selma, the seat of Dallas County is located in the heart of Alabama’s black belt with a population of approximately
30,000 of which more than fifty percent was blacks and considered one of the most racist and outlawed state in Southern America. Selma was governed by segregationist Governor and a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated police sheriff who believed that blacks do not have a place or right in society and thus, should be continued to be treated as slaves. Even though more than fifty percent of blacks lived in Selma, ninety-nine percent of registered voters were whites leaving many eligible black voters disenfranchised.
30,000 of which more than fifty percent was blacks and considered one of the most racist and outlawed state in Southern America. Selma was governed by segregationist Governor and a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated police sheriff who believed that blacks do not have a place or right in society and thus, should be continued to be treated as slaves. Even though more than fifty percent of blacks lived in Selma, ninety-nine percent of registered voters were whites leaving many eligible black voters disenfranchised.