Selma+Campaign

=The Selma Campaign=

1965 Campaign for voting rights organised by members of the SNCC and SCLC
The Selma Campaign was a non-violent protest staged in the small town of Selma in Alabama. The protests were aimed at building pressure to get Congress to pass laws that would emilinate Jim Crow laws that prevented Blacks from voting in some Southern states. The march resulted in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which was a significant win for African Americans.

The two organisers, the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Commitee) and the SCLC (King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference) maintained thier nonviolent message and attitude throughout the protest but were repeatedly attacked and harrashed by the local authorities. The most famous of these attacks was 'Bloody Sunday' where the protesters were beaten with billy clubs by Selma's police force and Alabama State troopers as they left the town of Selma. Bloody Sunday gained wide publicity and put futher pressure on Congress.

Four people were killed during the protest. One night three Ministers were about to enter a diner when they were attacked by several white men, one Minister was killed and thier attackers where later aquitted by a all-male, all-white judge and jury. The march was orignally outlawed and delayed for many days but was allowed to go ahead provided it contained less than 300 people. The actual march started on March 21st and it took 5 days for the protestors to reach Montgomery and on the last day of the march over 25000 people participated in the protest. In the end the march achieved its goals and gained a large amount of publicity for the African American cause but the cost of these gains was high.
 * [[image:http://www.voanews.com/english/images/nps.gov_selma_alabama_1965_16oct02_150_se.jpg width="176" height="180"]] ||
 * Police attack civil rights demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, 1965 ||

?, Michael. "History Travels: A Civil Rights Bus Tour: Selma, Lord, Selma." __History Travels__. 5 Mar. 2008. 27 May 2009 []. Ulrich, Carl. "Memories from Selma, Alabama." __WestWood Unitarian__. 15 Feb. 2009. 27 May 2009 [|www.westwoodunitarian.ca/ulrich-memories.from.selma-15feb2009.pdf]. Schapiro, Steve. "Monroe Gallery - Gallery Showcase." __Monroe Gallery Santa Fe Photography__. 31 May 2009 []. Farrelly, Maura J. "Rainbow PUSH Coalition Founder Still Fighting for Racial and Economic Equality." __VOA News - Voice of America - English News Homepage__. 6 Feb. 2006. 31 May 2009 [].

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