What it means to cover 60 years since Bloody Sunday in Selma

Opinion

From Mya Caleb: What it means to cover 60 years since Bloody Sunday in Selma

Opinion

From Mya Caleb: What it means to cover 60 years since Bloody Sunday in Selma

WE WILL TAKE THIS MOMENT TO COMMEMORATE THE BLOOD. THE BLOOD THAT WAS SHARED AND I MEAN SHARED. THE BLOOD THAT WAS SHED AND I MEAN SHED. WE WILL USE THIS OPPORTUNITY EVERY DAY TO NOT ONLY LOOK BACK AND REFLECT, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TO KIND OF MOVE FORWARD. TODAY, THE COMMEMORATION OF THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLOODY SUNDAY IN SELMA, THE DAY THAT POLICE ATTACKED HUNDREDS OF CIVIL RIGHTS DEMONSTRATORS WHO WERE TAKING PART IN A PEACEFUL MARCH. THE SACRIFICE OF THE FOOT SOLDIERS THAT MARCHED IS HONORED EACH YEAR AT THE BRIDGE CROSSING JUBILEE IN SELMA, �� 13, MYA CALEB WAS THERE TODAY AND TELLS US WHAT IT WAS LIKE FOR THE THOUSANDS WHO SHOWED UP. MARCHERS ARE STILL MAKING THEIR WAY ACROSS THE EDMUND PETTUS BRIDGE, AND DESPITE THE COLD AND DESPITE THE RAIN THAT FELL EARLIER, THE OVERALL MOOD OUT HERE IS ONE OF UNITY, ONE OF HOPE, ONE OF FREEDOM. AS MARCHERS ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR CIVIL RIGHTS. EACH YEAR, FOOT SOLDIERS AND CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATES CROSS THE EDMUND PETTUS BRIDGE TO COMMEMORATE THE HORRIFIC EVENTS OF BLOODY SUNDAY. THERE WAS A SPEAKER YESTERDAY THAT SAID THAT THIS WAS THIS WAS ALMOST LIKE MECCA. AND IT DOES FEEL LIKE A PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA. THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, MECCA OF WHERE OUR ANCESTORS LAID DOWN SOME OF THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICES FOR US. IT’S BEEN 60 YEARS, BUT MARCHERS FEEL AS IF THERE’S STILL MORE WORK TO DO. SO WE STILL ARE FIGHTING FOR VOTING RIGHTS. WE’RE STILL TRYING TO PASS THE JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT. AND THAT’S WHAT THIS WEEKEND IS ALL ABOUT, IS, IS GETTING VOTING RIGHTS AND BREAKING DOWN THOSE BARRIERS THAT WE FACE. STILL, IN 2025. I WANT TO KEEP ON WALKING. AND THEY SAY THE KEY IS EDUCATING THE YOUTH. WELL, SEE, THAT’S WHY WE GOT TO CONTINUE TO EDUCATE AND MOTIVATE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE. THAT’S BEEN MY WHOLE ESSENCE, BECAUSE EVEN THE SELMA MOVEMENT, BIRMINGHAM MOVEMENT, IT WOULDN’T HAVE SURVIVED THE FREEDOM RIDES SIT INS WITHOUT YOUNG PEOPLE. THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE TO SET THEM UP FOR SUCCESS WHILE PASSING THE TORCH. WE GOT INDIVIDUALS TRYING TO ERASE OUR HISTORY, TRYING TO KEEP OUR CHILDREN, YOU KNOW, FROM KNOWING WHERE THEY CAME FROM. BUT MARCHES LIKE THIS HAVE TO CONTINUE TO GET ON BECAUSE WE CAN’T CURE RACISM. WE CAN’T CURE PREJUDICE IF WE DON’T UNCOVER THE PROBLEM. LORD, THAT BLOW FOR FREEDOM SONGS AND HOPE FILLING THE AIR AS MARCHERS CROSSED THE EDMUND PETTUS, DETERMINED TO SOMEDAY OVERCOME. AND THE JOURNEY ISN’T OVER. WITH THE BRIDGE CROSSING TODAY, MARCHERS WILL MAKE A 54 MILE JOURNEY FROM HERE TO MONTGOMERY STARTING MONDAY IN SELMA, MYA CALEB, �� 13, MYA. THANK YOU. LAST WEEK, SHE HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH TWO FOOT SOLDIERS, JUST EIGHT AND 17 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME, WHO WERE THERE WHEN THE PEACEFUL PROTEST AT THE EDMUND PETTUS BRIDGE TURNED VIOLENT. YOU CAN FIND THEIR FULL CONVERSATIONS RIGHT NOW O

Opinion

From Mya Caleb: What it means to cover 60 years since Bloody Sunday in Selma

I normally get nervous when covering major stories, but when we arrived in Selma, I felt nothing but excitement.It was colder than anticipated, but once my photographer informed me that the Edmund Pettus Bridge was just ahead of us, none of that mattered to me. I jumped out of Storm Command as soon as we parked, and I made my way to the bridge, taking in all that I was seeing. The buildings, businesses and signs all looked frozen in time, appearing unchanged from 60 years ago.I excitedly took photos and videos to have some personal documentation of being at the bridge, and then I took a moment to feel gratitude.Of anyone that would've been more qualified to cover a story as big as this one, I was there with the opportunity to tell a story that was so special to me.I found myself getting a little emotional because of my family's ties to and history in Alabama. My grandparents and great-grandparents had vivid memories of events like Bloody Sunday happening in their home state. My grandfather in particular has shared several stories of what a segregated Alabama looked and felt like for him as he grew up in Mobile.It rained and the temperature dropped as I went through my early morning live shots, but that didn't stop a crowd from turning out.We made our way to Brown AME Chapel where a church service and pre-march rally took place.You could hear the music and the cheers, see the smiles and the dancing. The crowd was full of people anticipating the journey across the Edmund Pettus.We spoke with several rally participants that felt the same way I did about being in Selma.They were excited to learn history, honored to be a part of history and hopeful about the future.Most echoed sentiments that the torch must be passed to my generation and the generations behind us in order to continue the fight for civil rights.I even ran into a friend from college while searching for interviews, which was ironic considering we're both from Texas and she still lives back home.The time came for us to march across the bridge, and you could hear the freedom songs of "We Shall Overcome" and "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around" floating through the air.Watch the full march below.Chants from different sororities and fraternities in the National Pan-Hellenic Council accompanied these songs and with me being a member, I happily joined in.Hugs, smiles, handshakes and hope were all passed through the crowd in a way that made a stranger feel like your closest friend.The time came for us to line up for the march and all I can say is that marching across the bridge was surreal.I was near the front and as far as I could see, there were people of all backgrounds, nationalities, lifestyles, races and more.I found myself stopping in the middle of taking pictures and videos to just take in everything I was feeling and witnessing. Take a moment to see what it is like to cross the bridge in the video below.I still don't have all of the words to describe how it was to experience the march, but as the songs continued, all I could feel was a sense of unity and purpose as well as honor.I got the chance to see key civil rights leaders that were still dedicated to making their way to Selma each year for the bridge crossing jubilee. Some of these people I've seen before on other stories, but it was different being on the bridge, only a few feet from people who put their lives on the line so that someone in the future, like me, would have equal voting rights in this country.It's not lost on me that the sacrifices of those foot soldiers allowed us all to make our way across the Edmund Pettus Bridge peacefully.I can empathize based on accounts and footage, but I know it'll never compare to being in their shoes.�� 13 archival video below shows what happened on Bloody Sunday.Before we knew it, we made our way to the other side and I somehow managed to do it without crying.I'm deeply moved by the events that transpired back in 1965 and how it still impacts us to this day. I'm glad I chose to take a job in Alabama. This state was foreign to me just three months ago and I've experienced nothing but amazing opportunity since. I may not be the reporter on coverage for the bridge crossing jubilee next year, but regardless, I'll be there making that march across the bridge once again.

SELMA, Ala. —

I normally get nervous when covering major stories, but when we arrived in Selma, I felt nothing but excitement.

It was colder than anticipated, but once my photographer informed me that the Edmund Pettus Bridge was just ahead of us, none of that mattered to me.

I jumped out of Storm Command as soon as we parked, and I made my way to the bridge, taking in all that I was seeing. The buildings, businesses and signs all looked frozen in time, appearing unchanged from 60 years ago.

I excitedly took photos and videos to have some personal documentation of being at the bridge, and then I took a moment to feel gratitude.

Of anyone that would've been more qualified to cover a story as big as this one, I was there with the opportunity to tell a story that was so special to me.

I found myself getting a little emotional because of my family's ties to and history in Alabama.

My grandparents and great-grandparents had vivid memories of events like Bloody Sunday happening in their home state. My grandfather in particular has shared several stories of what a segregated Alabama looked and felt like for him as he grew up in Mobile.

It rained and the temperature dropped as I went through my early morning live shots, but that didn't stop a crowd from turning out.

We made our way to Brown AME Chapel where a church service and pre-march rally took place.

You could hear the music and the cheers, see the smiles and the dancing. The crowd was full of people anticipating the journey across the Edmund Pettus.

We spoke with several rally participants that felt the same way I did about being in Selma.

They were excited to learn history, honored to be a part of history and hopeful about the future.

Most echoed sentiments that the torch must be passed to my generation and the generations behind us in order to continue the fight for civil rights.

I even ran into a friend from college while searching for interviews, which was ironic considering we're both from Texas and she still lives back home.

Hearst Owned

The time came for us to march across the bridge, and you could hear the freedom songs of "We Shall Overcome" and "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around" floating through the air.

Watch the full march below.

Chants from different sororities and fraternities in the National Pan-Hellenic Council accompanied these songs and with me being a member, I happily joined in.

Hugs, smiles, handshakes and hope were all passed through the crowd in a way that made a stranger feel like your closest friend.

The time came for us to line up for the march and all I can say is that marching across the bridge was surreal.

Hearst Owned

Mya Caleb at the Edmund Pettus Bridge

I was near the front and as far as I could see, there were people of all backgrounds, nationalities, lifestyles, races and more.

I found myself stopping in the middle of taking pictures and videos to just take in everything I was feeling and witnessing.

Take a moment to see what it is like to cross the bridge in the video below.

I still don't have all of the words to describe how it was to experience the march, but as the songs continued, all I could feel was a sense of unity and purpose as well as honor.

I got the chance to see key civil rights leaders that were still dedicated to making their way to Selma each year for the bridge crossing jubilee.

Some of these people I've seen before on other stories, but it was different being on the bridge, only a few feet from people who put their lives on the line so that someone in the future, like me, would have equal voting rights in this country.

It's not lost on me that the sacrifices of those foot soldiers allowed us all to make our way across the Edmund Pettus Bridge peacefully.

Hearst Owned

One of the foot soldiers who marched in Bloody Sunday

I can empathize based on accounts and footage, but I know it'll never compare to being in their shoes.

�� 13 archival video below shows what happened on Bloody Sunday.

Before we knew it, we made our way to the other side and I somehow managed to do it without crying.

I'm deeply moved by the events that transpired back in 1965 and how it still impacts us to this day.

I'm glad I chose to take a job in Alabama.

This state was foreign to me just three months ago and I've experienced nothing but amazing opportunity since.

I may not be the reporter on coverage for the bridge crossing jubilee next year, but regardless, I'll be there making that march across the bridge once again.

Hearst Owned

��������

From Mya Caleb: What it means to cover 60 years since Bloody Sunday in Selma

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