A nation John Lewis helped unite salutes him on his final journey across Selma bridge
The civil rights icon's trip across the Edmund Pettus Bridge marks progress but remaining challenges
SELMA — This time, the Alabama state troopers saluted.
The late John Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the final time Sunday in a triumphant celebration of his tireless fight for civil rights, often in the face of violent resistance.
Mourners cheered, sang and cried as a horse-drawn carriage carried Lewis' flag-draped casket over the Alabama River and toward Montgomery.
Red rose petals led the way on this final journey, covering pavement that was once stained with his blood, when hordes of state troopers attacked him 55 years ago.
Lewis and hundreds of marchers came to the bridge on Bloody Sunday in 1965 to demand an end to restrictions that blocked Black citizens from voting. Law enforcement beat the peaceful protesters with clubs and showered them with tear gas.
Still, Lewis and the others returned days later, marching from Selma to the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery to amplify their call for voting rights. Their work spurred national action led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act later that year.
The sloping bridge in Selma became a symbol of the civil rights movement, and of Lewis' perseverance. In 2015, on the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, he walked the bridge arm-in-arm with former President Barack Obama.
Lewis' work continued for decades after Bloody Sunday, culminating with a lengthy tenure representing Atlanta in the U.S. House of Representatives. He died July 17 from pancreatic cancer — his sprawling memorial tour reflected the scale of his impact. He was 80.
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