Folks,

60 years ago in Selma, Alabama, hundreds of people gathered to march to the capital city of Montgomery and ensure that Black Americans could exercise their constitutional right to vote.

They marched peacefully for six blocks, before being violently attacked by state troopers.

Their peaceful protest was met with vitriolic brutality, so today, we remember Bloody Sunday — a stark reminder of the vast sacrifices made by southern organizers to secure the right to vote for all Americans.

Marchers in Selma were violently attacked, some until they lost consciousness, but they didn’t stop. In the subsequent days, Martin Luther King Jr. would lead several marches until they successfully reached the Alabama State Capitol building, resulting in the passage of the pivotal Voting Rights Acts.

Alabama's rich social justice history features some of the most history-changing local organizing of the Civil Rights Era — and some of our nation's most stark setbacks to justice and equity in the form of white supremacy.

Reckoning with this juxtaposition offers a path to durable power-building and progress.

Our partners in Alabama and across the nation are leading this fight, and writing a new story for the state. Sustained organizing by local activists, like those who persisted 60 years ago, is needed to fight back against voter suppression and secure democracy for all.

These fights are ongoing. Across the Deep South, Appalachia, and the Plains, Groundwork Project shows up year-round in the states too often written off to secure justice, equity, and democracy.

As history has shown us, local leaders are primed to meet historic moments and make progress for their communities.

Together, we can continue to write a new story for states like Alabama.

— Groundwork Project