WASHINGTON – Alabama 7^th District U.S. Representative Artur Davis is set to host the 7^th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama March 4-6 sponsored by Washington’s Faith & Politics Institute. The event is part of the commemoration marking the 40^th Anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

With more than 40 members of Congress participating this year, this will be the largest delegation since senators and congressmen began making this trek to Alabama in 1997.  Serving as this year’s honorary pilgrimage bi-partisan co-chairs are Sen. George Allen (R-VA), Sen. Jon S. Corzine (D-NJ), House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI).  Davis first co-hosted the pilgrimage during his first year in the House in 2003 and found it to be a very rewarding experience.

“We have much to be proud of in the state of Alabama, and in particular in my district, in the role we played in extending freedom and opportunity to all citizens in this country during the 1950s and ‘60s,” Davis said.  “Our task now is to enlighten those who have never been directly exposed to this history so that we can continue to ensure freedom and liberty, not just abroad, but here at home as well.”

The Pilgrimage is an opportunity for members of Congress to shed their partisan personas and discuss events that helped to shape life in America as we know it today -- one filled with better opportunity and an increased capacity for minorities to achieve the American Dream.

Legendary Civil Rights leader John Lewis, a member of Congress representing Georgia’s 5^th District, will officially lead the delegation, which will take in monuments and moments of Alabama’s Civil Rights history from Birmingham to Montgomery to Selma.  The weekend culminates Sunday with a re-enactment of the Edmund Pettus Bridge crossing during the Selma to Montgomery March.

Congressman Lewis, then a young lieutenant of Martin Luther King, Jr., was brutally beaten during that event, which led to heightened awareness of civil rights injustices in the South and the eventual passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

While much has been achieved, Davis says there is much left to be done, and this experience in Alabama allows for the type of dialogue needed among his congressional colleagues to continue doing good work in Washington.

“I am honored to once again co-host this event with my other colleagues in the Alabama delegation, and I look forward to an enriching experience over the course of the Pilgrimage.”

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