Washington D.C. - Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) spoke on the House Floor to commemorate the 61st anniversary of Bloody Sunday and highlight the annual Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage through Alabama which will take place this weekend beginning on Friday, March 6. Rep. Sewell also paid tribute to retiring Congressman and former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who will be participating in his 19th and final pilgrimage in his official capacity.

Watch on YouTube here.

Rep. Sewell: Mr. Speaker, I rise in observance of the 61st anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the annual Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage through Alabama, which will take place this weekend in Birmingham, Montgomery, and my hometown of Selma, Alabama.

Beginning this Friday, March 6th, we in Alabama will once again welcome Members of Congress and dignitaries from across the nation to lay eyes on the faces and places of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Movement.

Hosted by the Faith and Politics Institute, we will retrace the footsteps of civil rights giants and pay homage to the sacrifices made in the name of equality and justice for all.

Our pilgrimage will begin in Birmingham where we will pay tribute to the Four Little Girls killed in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. Together, we will reflect on the legacy of visionary Birmingham leaders-like Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth-who led the fight against segregation alongside Dr. King.

We will then travel to Montgomery, Alabama-home to Rosa Parks and the Freedom Riders Museum and Equal Justice Initiative-where ordinary citizens took a bold stand against injustice.

We will conclude our pilgrimage by crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in my hometown of Selma to commemorate the events of Bloody Sunday. Together, we will walk in the footsteps of our former colleague-the late great Congressman John Lewis-who was beaten and bloodied by Alabama State Troopers while peacefully demonstrating for the right of all Americans to vote.

This year's pilgrimage could not come at a more critical time in our nation's history. As we speak, officials at the highest levels of government are waging a concerted and coordinated effort to attack the rights and freedoms secured by our foremothers and our forefathers. They are attempting to erase our history, to roll back our progress, to silence our voices, and to dilute our power.

Meanwhile, the fate of the Voting Rights Act of 1965-the crown jewel of the Civil Rights Movement-hangs in the balance, as the Supreme Court considers a case that could gut its remaining protections.

It is my hope that this year's pilgrimage will serve not only as a reminder of our past, but a roadmap for our future. You see, the Foot Soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement were tacticians and strategists. In these troubled times, we should take a page from their playbook, because Good Trouble, necessary trouble, is needed now more than ever.

Mr. Speaker, this year's pilgrimage is also bittersweet. It will be the last time that we will be joined in our official capacity by Congressman and former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

Congressman Hoyer is retiring from the House this year, and I wanted to pay special tribute to him and his dedication to coming annually for the pilgrimage. No one in this body has been a more steadfast supporter of our annual pilgrimage than Leader Hoyer. He made the trip to Alabama 18 times, and yes, this will be his 19th time commemorating Bloody Sunday.

I will always cherish the memories we made alongside John Lewis and our colleagues during the pilgrimage. While he will be sorely missed in the halls of Congress, I know that Leader Hoyer's service to our nation will not end with his retirement, and neither will his dedication to protecting and advancing our civil rights.

On behalf of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, I ask my colleagues to join me in observing the 61st anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the upcoming annual Civil Rights Pilgrimage.

May we leave this weekend renewed, refreshed, and ready to get into some Good Trouble.

###