Hoyer, Fifth District Student Commemorate 50th Anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" in Alabama

March 9, 2015
Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC –This past weekend, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) joined Members of Congress for the Faith & Politics Institute's 15th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage. This year, the three-day tour from March 6-8, visiting Selma, Birmingham, and Montgomery, Alabama honored the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He was joined by Mia Moore, a senior at Great Mills High School in St. Mary's County, on the pilgrimage.

"I was honored to attend the pilgrimage this weekend for the tenth time with my colleagues and friend, Congressman John Lewis, who was a leader in the Bloody Sunday march," said Congressman Hoyer. "As we remembered those who marched 50 years ago for the right to register to vote, it was also a time to recommit ourselves to securing the right to vote for all Americans today and restoring the Voting Rights Act which was weakened by the Supreme Court. I was pleased that Great Mills student Mia Moore was able to participate in this once in a lifetime opportunity and can share her experiences with her peers."

"My experience this weekend was truly incredible," said Mia Moore. "We got to see President Obama in person and he touched on every point that I wanted him to in his speech. I feel as though I not only represented my family, but I represented my school, my community and young people across America."

Mia represented the Fifth District as part of the Faith & Politics Institute's Students & Stewards Program. Both Rep. Hoyer and Mia attended an event at 16th St. Baptist Church in Birmingham, where they remembered the four young girls killed in the 1963 church bombing. They heard remarks from President Barack Obama during a commemoration at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and attended a program on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol to mark the arrival of the final 1965 march. Rep. Hoyer and Mia also visited Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma, where they heard remarks by Congressman John Lewis.