Nearly 40 members of the House and Senate embark on bipartisan pilgrimage to historic sites of the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama

Washington, DC - 12^th District Congressman John Barrow (D-GA) will join a bipartisan delegation of the United States Congress this weekend as they travel to historic civil rights sites across Alabama.  The event, led by legendary civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman John Lewis, coincides with the 40^th anniversary of the Voting Rights March and is being sponsored by the Faith and Politics Institute.

"During the 50's and 60's the State of Alabama was on the frontlines of the civil rights movement," Barrow said.  "The events that took place in Selma, Birmingham, Montgomery, and many other towns and cities across the South helped open America's eyes to the injustice of racial segregation.  It's an honor to join Congressman Lewis and many other distinguished civil rights leaders as they reflect on the historic steps they took in the nation's long march towards racial equality and freedom." 

The event will culminate on Sunday, March 6^th, with a commemoration of the infamous "Bloody Sunday" incident at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.  The pilgrimage will also be joined by individuals who helped craft civil rights legislation during the Johnson administration, as well as political, civic, and religious leaders from South Africa - many of whom were involved in that country's struggle against Apartheid. 

During the three day event, the members will visit the Civil Rights Institute and the 16^th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham; the Rosa Parks Museum, Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, First Baptist Church, and the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery; and the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the Voting Rights Museum, and the Slavery and Civil Rights Museum in Selma. 

To find out more information about the Faith and Politics Institute visit: http://www.faithandpolitics.org.

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Contact: Harper Lawson, (202) 225-2823

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