President Joe Biden took a shot at Republicans on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, saying they are “trying to hide the truth.”
While delivering remarks at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on Sunday, Biden said, “History matters.”
He added, “The truth matters, notwithstanding what the other team is trying to hide. They’re trying to hide the truth.”
Biden explained, “No matter how hard some people try, we can’t just choose to learn what we want to know but not what we should know. We should learn everything, the good, the bad, the truth of who we are as a nation. And everyone should know the truth of Selma.”
Watch the president’s remarks below:
Biden calls out Republicans for censoring history and truth, "The truth matters, notwithstanding what the other team is trying to hide the truth. No matter how hard some people try, we can't just choose to learn what we want to know and not what we should know. " pic.twitter.com/ej0JiIInvs
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 5, 2023
The National Museum of African American History & Culture describes Bloody Sunday as a “march held in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 for the 600 people attacked on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.”
The website continues, “It was there that law enforcement officers beat unarmed marchers with billy clubs and sprayed them with tear gas.”
Additionally, Biden urged Congress during his speech to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
“I made it clear I will not let a filibuster obstruct the sacred right to vote,” Biden said.
He added, “Selma is a reckoning. The right to vote and to have your vote counted is the threshold of democracy and liberty.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also issued a statement commemorating the anniversary of the event.
“We must redouble our efforts and renew our commitment to protecting the freedom to vote. President Joe Biden and I continue to call on Congress to pass federal legislation that protects voting rights, election integrity, and our democracy,” Harris said.
Read the statement below:
58 years ago, 600 brave souls marched in Selma, Alabama to secure one of our most sacred freedoms: the freedom to vote. Today, we renew our commitment to protecting that freedom.
— Vice President Kamala Harris Archived (@VP46Archive) March 5, 2023
Read my full statement on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday. pic.twitter.com/GGRWQ8QODS
She went on, “And we will continue to implement the President’s Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting, which enhances the federal government’s efforts to advance voter participation.”
Concluding her statement, Harris said, “If we are to truly honor the legacy of those who marched in Selma on Bloody Sunday, we must continue to fight to secure and safeguard the freedom to vote.”
