Heroes of civil rights fight honoured as day of violence remembered
Pupils in England return to school, the Sussexes speak to Oprah Winfrey and celebrations take place for International Women’s Day. John Blow looks at the week ahead.
THE COMMEMORATION of a pivotal moment in the fight for voting rights for African Americans will honour four giants of the civil rights movement who lost their lives in 2020, including US Representative John Lewis.
The Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee will mark the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday – March 7 1965 – when civil rights marchers were brutally beaten by law enforcement officers on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Mr Lewis, the Rev Joseph Lowery, the Rev CT Vivian, and lawyer Bruce Boynton were being honoured at the commemoration.
Bloody Sunday became a turning point in the fight for voting rights. Footage of the beatings helped galvanise support for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
This year’s event comes as some states seek to roll back expanded early and postal voting access, and efforts have been unsuccessful to restore a key section of the Voting Rights Act which required states with a history of discrimination to get federal approval for any changes to voting procedures.
Former state Senator Hank Sanders, one of the founders of the annual celebration, said: “Those of us who are still living, particularly the young, need to take up the challenge and go forward because there is still so much to be done.”
The event typically brings thousands of people to Selma. However, most of the events are being held virtually this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The annual Martin & Coretta King Unity Breakfast will be held as a drive-in event.
The Rev Bernard LaFayette, Martin Luther King III and the founders of the group Black Voters Matter will speak at the breakfast.
President Joe Biden will appear via a pre-recorded message in which he will announce an executive order aimed at promoting voting access.
PUPILS IN all year groups are due to return to England’s schools today in the first step towards a the country’s return to life without coronavirus restrictions.
Outdoor after-school sports and activities will also be allowed to restart following the Government’s release of a ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown.
Meanwhile, socialising in parks and public spaces with one other person will also be permitted with the rules relaxed to allow people to sit down for a drink or picnic.
Some have criticised the decision by ministers to return all children to school instead of taking a phased approach.
One expert last week schools can reopen “safely”, however, with the package of measures set out to mitigate risks from Covid-19.
Calum Semple, professor of outbreak medicine and child health at the University of Liverpool, said that increased ventilation, tests and mask wearing will all contribute to safe reopening of school.
Geoff Barton, from the Association of School and College Leaders said that increased testing for secondary and higher education pupils would mean that this week will be more “transitional”, with the week commencing March 15 looking
“as normal as it might do”. The Government has laid out plans for secondary school and college students to be tested twice a week.
ROYAL RUMBLINGS
THE DUKE and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey will air in the UK tonight after being shown on the television over the Atlantic yesterday.
Oprah With Meghan and Harry broadcasts at 9pm this evening on ITV, the broadcaster said last week, following the couple’s departure to live in America.
Meghan has accused the Royal family of “perpetuating falsehoods” about her and Harry in footage released last week.
Meghan defended her decision to speak to the chat show veteran suggesting she could not “stay silent” while “The Firm” was working against the couple.
The latest salvo in the worsening relationship between the Sussexes and the monarchy came hours after Buckingham Palace announced it is to investigate allegations of bullying made against the Duchess by former Royal staff. The couple’s interview with the US television host is expected to lift the lid on their short period working for the Firm – as the Royal family is sometimes known - before they stepped down last March.
A palace source said: “We’re not getting involved in the drama around the interview.”
It is not clear what “falsehoods” Meghan is referring to but court documents from her recent legal action against Associated Newspapers, over articles which featured parts of her letter to her estranged father, shed light on her views about the monarchy.
The legal papers claimed the Duchess was left “unprotected by the Institution” of the monarchy when attacked by the media and “prohibited from defending herself ”.
WOMEN OF THE WORLD
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S Day will also be celebrated around the globe today.
The annual wave of campaigning aims to celebrate the achievements of women, build awareness about equality, highlight the cause of gender parity and fundraise for femalefocused charities.
This year’s theme is “Choose to Challenge”, with organisers and participants hoping to inspire calls to action. Online events in the region taking place include one by the Institute of Directors’ Yorkshire and North East branch.