'Selma made this day possible'

[struggle4progress]

The pathway to voting, and Obama's campaign, began in an Alabama town 40 years ago
Nov 04, 2008 04:30 AM
Royson James
Columnist

SELMA, Ala. – ... President Lyndon Johnson recognized Selma when he passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Thirty-five years later, president Bill Clinton reaffirmed the town by claiming that without the black vote Selma unleashed, neither he nor Jimmy Carter would have won ...

Rev. Jesse Jackson says Selma has every reason to step into the spotlight. And to honour the town's contribution, Jackson's Rainbow-PUSH organization in Chicago will hold a vigil tonight with the theme, From Selma to the White House.

"Selma made this day possible," Jackson told the Star yesterday. "It was a bloody struggle. People lost their jobs and their lives for the right to vote. By knocking down those walls, Obama can build a bridge."

The world came to know Selma on March 7, 1965. An ABC television crew recorded the scene as state and city police clubbed, whipped and ran their horses over peaceful marchers protesting a system that placed deadly barriers in front of black citizens looking to vote ...

http://www.thestar.com/news/uselection/article/529957

[fasttense]

1. I wonder if Obama's presidency was what MLK saw on the mountain? n/t