March 03, 2005
Washington, DC - On March 4-6, 2005, Congresswoman Barbara Lee will join civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and honorary pilgrimage co-chairs Sen. George Allen (R-VA), Sen. Jon S. Corzine (D-NJ), House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) and other Members of the U.S. House and Senate on a bipartisan pilgrimage to historic sites of the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama.
Following visits to Birmingham and Montgomery, the pilgrimage will culminate in Selma on March 6th at the Edmund Pettus Bridge with a commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” and the Voting Rights March of 1965.
"As someone who feels a strong commitment to the collective struggle for justice, I believe it is very important for us to not only remember our nation's civil rights history, but to continue the fight. This is a time to recommit ourselves to the unfinished business of the civil rights movement- liberty and justice for all,” said Rep. Lee. “I am proud to take part in this Civil Rights Pilgrimage with young people from my Congressional District, who are our future leaders.”
This year, Congresswoman Lee will be joined by Bay Area young people, members of The Ira Jinkins Youth Nonviolence Leadership Team from the MLK Jr. Freedom Center in Oakland. Co-Chairs of the team Kyla Searle (17 year old Senior - Berkeley High School, resident of Berkeley) and Salita Mitchell (17 year old Senior - Berkeley High School, resident of Richmond) will be joined by Garrett Flippin (16 year old Junior - Castro Valley High School, resident of Castro Valley), Michael Works (16 year old Junior - Mc Clymonds High School, resident of West Oakland), Alexzandria Timms (14 year old Freshman - Frick Middle School, resident of East Oakland) and Eric Reed (16 year old Sophomore - Berkeley High School, resident of Berkeley).
The pilgrimage, the seventh organized by The Faith & Politics Institute, invites Members of Congress and their guests to come together across racial, party, and religious lines for a unique journey of experiential learning to historic sites in Alabama. Congressman John Lewis and others who played key roles in shaping the Civil Rights Movement lead the pilgrimage.
This year, a group of South African political, civic and religious leaders, including Ahmed Kathrada who spent 26 years imprisoned on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela, will join the delegation to explore parallels between the U.S. and South African freedom movements. Persons from both political parties who crafted civil rights legislation during the Johnson administration will also travel with the group.
The three-day passage through living history dramatizes the powerful role that faith and spiritual qualities of conscience, courage and compassion played in shaping our nation's history. To date, 65 U.S. Representatives and 11 U.S. Senators have participated in the pilgrimage, deepening their understanding of a crucial chapter in our nation's history.
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Rep. Lee Takes Bay Area Young People on Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage
Tour of Historic Civil Rights Sites in Alabama Commemorates 40th Anniversary of 1965 Voting Rights March
Washington, DC - On March 4-6, 2005, Congresswoman Barbara Lee will join civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and honorary pilgrimage co-chairs Sen. George Allen (R-VA), Sen. Jon S. Corzine (D-NJ), House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) and other Members of the U.S. House and Senate on a bipartisan pilgrimage to historic sites of the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama.
Following visits to Birmingham and Montgomery, the pilgrimage will culminate in Selma on March 6th at the Edmund Pettus Bridge with a commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” and the Voting Rights March of 1965.
"As someone who feels a strong commitment to the collective struggle for justice, I believe it is very important for us to not only remember our nation's civil rights history, but to continue the fight. This is a time to recommit ourselves to the unfinished business of the civil rights movement- liberty and justice for all,” said Rep. Lee. “I am proud to take part in this Civil Rights Pilgrimage with young people from my Congressional District, who are our future leaders.”
This year, Congresswoman Lee will be joined by Bay Area young people, members of The Ira Jinkins Youth Nonviolence Leadership Team from the MLK Jr. Freedom Center in Oakland. Co-Chairs of the team Kyla Searle (17 year old Senior - Berkeley High School, resident of Berkeley) and Salita Mitchell (17 year old Senior - Berkeley High School, resident of Richmond) will be joined by Garrett Flippin (16 year old Junior - Castro Valley High School, resident of Castro Valley), Michael Works (16 year old Junior - Mc Clymonds High School, resident of West Oakland), Alexzandria Timms (14 year old Freshman - Frick Middle School, resident of East Oakland) and Eric Reed (16 year old Sophomore - Berkeley High School, resident of Berkeley).
The pilgrimage, the seventh organized by The Faith & Politics Institute, invites Members of Congress and their guests to come together across racial, party, and religious lines for a unique journey of experiential learning to historic sites in Alabama. Congressman John Lewis and others who played key roles in shaping the Civil Rights Movement lead the pilgrimage.
This year, a group of South African political, civic and religious leaders, including Ahmed Kathrada who spent 26 years imprisoned on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela, will join the delegation to explore parallels between the U.S. and South African freedom movements. Persons from both political parties who crafted civil rights legislation during the Johnson administration will also travel with the group.
The three-day passage through living history dramatizes the powerful role that faith and spiritual qualities of conscience, courage and compassion played in shaping our nation's history. To date, 65 U.S. Representatives and 11 U.S. Senators have participated in the pilgrimage, deepening their understanding of a crucial chapter in our nation's history.
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