Terri Sewell

Advocates are gathering in Selma, Alabama, this weekend to mark the 60th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" amid fears of a rollback on voting and civil rights.Why it matters: The commemoration comes just days after President Trump gutted nearly all federal affirmative action programs while ordering agencies to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Meanwhile, the once-routine reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act — a law initially inspired by the brutal beatings of protesters at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma 60 years ago — remains stalled in Congress with little hope of passage under GOP control. A Trump executive order "ending radical indoctrination" in K-12 schools and new state laws limiting classroom discussions on race also make it unclear if teachers, even in Alabama, can even discuss events in Selma that led to one of the most dramatic moments of the Civil Rights Movement. Zoom in: "The Annual Pilgrimage to Selma," a yearly reenactment of the 1964 crossing of Edmund Pettus Bridge for voting rights, is expected to draw tens of thousands of people Sunday. The event is sponsored by the nonprofit Bridge Crossing Jubilee, which will also host workshops, lectures and performances. Another group, Salute Selma, will host events on Black women and HBCUs.Context: On March 7, 1965, future Congressman John Lewis and 600 other civil rights demonstrators crossed the bridge from Selma for a planned march to Montgomery to protest voting discrimination against Black Americans.State troopers violently attacked the unarmed demonstrators with batons and tear gas — images that shocked the nation and prompted President Lyndon Johnson to give an emergency address to Congress. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. followed up with a three-day march from Selma to Montgomery under the protection of the Alabama National Guard, which was under federal control.Five months later, Johnson got Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with his wife Coretta Scott King march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital in Montgomery, March 1965. Photo: William Lovelace/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesState of play: Civil rights advocates and Black elected leaders tell Axios the mood at the gathering this year likely will be a mixture of fear, dejection, defiance and renewal."This moment feels both familiar and unfamiliar," Tennessee state Sen. Charlane Oliver tells Axios."The threats we face today are even more dire because of who is in the White House."NAACP President Derrick Johnson warns that fundamental rights and economic protections are being eroded — threatening hard-fought civil rights gains. He sees this moment as a pivotal test for democracy."Selma was never just about the past," he said. "It's about the future — about whether we will protect what so many fought and died for.""The fight for voting rights was never just about ballots — it was about dignity. And today, policymakers are seeking to steal that dignity, whether by defunding essential programs or undermining our democracy."Southern Poverty Law Center president and CEO Margaret Huang tells Axios this year's Jubilee feels like a commemoration and a call to action."For the first time in years, there will be no federal participation in Jubilee. That's a signal about where civil rights and our legacy sit in this country.""This year, it's not just looking back. We're in it — right now."The White House did not immediately respond to questions about whether anyone from the administration would attend the Selma gathering.Presidents Clinton, Obama and Biden have attended annual events in Selma. President Clinton waves to the crowd during a ceremony commemorating the 35th anniversary of the 1965 Voting Right March at the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama, March 5, 2000. Photo: Steven Schaefer/AFP via Getty ImagesThe intrigue: On Wednesday, just days before the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, House Democrats reintroduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.).The legislation seeks to restore and modernize the Voting Rights Act of 1965 protections, addressing challenges that have arisen since the Supreme Court invalidated key provisions in its 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder.Sewell tells Axios that in recent years, state lawmakers have introduced over 300 restrictive bills — more than 20 of which became law — slashing polling places, cutting early voting, eliminating mail-in ballots, and tightening ID rules.Between the lines: Since the events in Selma, the number of Black Americans elected in the U.S. has shot up from just a few in 1964 to about 9,000.Most Black Americans are aligned with the Democratic Party, but Black Republicans have won high-profile races in Kentucky, New Mexico and California.

As the first session of the 119th Congress convenes this month, and we begin this Presidential quadrennium, Alabama’s power on the Potomac has gravitated to the United States House of Representatives.

Alabama voters are deciding who will represent a congressional district redrawn after a lengthy redistricting battle

Five states redrew their district lines and the changes could impact who wins the House in the 2024 election.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are gearing up to take the stage for Tuesday night's debate in Philadelphia, where they'll fight to sway 2024 election voters on the biggest stage in U.S. politics.

By The Associated Press Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are gearing up to take the stage for Tuesday night’s debate in Philadelphia, where they’ll fight to sway 2024 election voters on the biggest stage in U.S. politics. The event, at 9 p.m. Eastern, will offer Americans their most detailed look at a campaign that’s dramatically [...]

The Harris campaign is casting a drastically wider net in recruiting House Democrats to stump for the presidential ticket, gauging the interest of almost every member, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Over a dozen Democratic lawmakers and aides described a "night-and-day" contrast with the surrogate operation under President Biden.To many House members, the shift is evidence of their new importance under the leadership of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former House member.What we're hearing: Harris' campaign has widely canvassed House members about their openness to being surrogates, an effort that began almost immediately after Biden dropped his candidacy in July. The center-left New Democrat Coalition polled their nearly 100 members at the campaign's request to "find out who's available," Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), the group's chair, told Axios.A senior House Democrat said the Harris campaign has "asked all members if they are interested in being surrogates," and those who agreed have been contacted each week about their availability to travel."They've asked what our interest level is in a way I haven't been asked previously. Often it's the people who really want to go do it who say something. This time, they're approaching everyone," said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.).Zoom in: Several House Democrats who were not stumping for Biden have signed on to do so for Harris."I wasn't a Biden campaign surrogate because I wasn't asked ... But Kamala, it's a different story," said Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.).A top aide to another House Democrat told Axios their boss has been tapped to travel twice and do swing-state media for Harris – a "glaring" difference from their non-existent role for Biden."They have asked for as many members as possible ... to be surrogates," said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), adding that Harris made the request to her directly when they were at an event together.Between the lines: The Harris campaign knows "the Biden team had an issue of many members not feeling included and are attempting to address the issue of including more people," said the senior House Democrat.Lawmakers saw Biden's approach as a function of his age and reliance on his tight inner circle and campaign co-chairs, including Reps. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.)."He has his circle, and they have their friends, and their friends have their friends, and that's it. And that's maybe what they're comfortable with," said another House Democrat.Biden was "leaning on the ones that were his surrogates when he was running the first time" in 2020, said Kamlager-Dove, while Harris "basically jumped into this a month ago."Yes, but: Sources noted that the general election was just starting at the time of the disastrous debate that precipitated Biden's withdrawal weeks later.The Harris campaign has also retained most of Biden's staff infrastructure, including Hillary Beard, a former chief of staff to Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) who oversees relationships with House members.Harris is also facing a truncated schedule, with Pocan telling Axios the vice president called many members the day Biden dropped out because she "realized that if you're starting a campaign with little runway, you've got to hit [the ground] more than sprinting."And Harris is trying to expand the map. "You're seeing surrogates go to Florida, you're seeing surrogates in Texas," said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.).Zoom out: House members, feeling more highly regarded by Harris and her team, are rewarding the vice president in turn with far greater enthusiasm.One House Democrat who expressed interest in speaking at the Democratic National Convention was told by their staff that while it may have been feasible under Biden, there is far more competition for public-facing roles in Harris' candidacy.The Harris campaign has been hearing from members proactively reaching out with offers of assistance, according to a source familiar with the matter.Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told Axios the campaign has "more interested surrogates than they know what to do with."The bottom line: "It's night-and-day," said Kuster, who told Axios roughly three-fourths of her group's members expressed interest in being Harris surrogates."Everybody wants in on this campaign, and they're excited about it."

A number of Democratic lawmakers, governors and past leaders were quick to rally behind Vice President Harris as she pursues the Democratic Party's presidential nomination following President Biden's withdrawal from the race. Shortly after dropping out of the presidential race, Biden endorsed Harris as his successor, stating it is "time to come together and beat" [...]