One Brooklyn
March 7, 2015
BROOKLYN, NY, March 7, 2015: Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and civil rights attorney Norman Siegel marched across the Brooklyn Bridge with over five hundred New Yorkers, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first of three marches conducted by civil rights activists in 1965 from Selma, Alabama to the state’s capital of Montgomery, events that helped lead to the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. The route led over the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn Borough Hall, where Borough President Adams hosted a community viewing of President Barack Obama’s speech to the nation from Selma. Joined by leaders such as former New York City Mayor David Dinkins and Dr. Karen S. Daughtry, wife of nationally prominent pastor Reverend Dr. Herbert Daughtry, Borough President Adams and others spoke about the historic nature of this march.
“We’re fighting now for not just civil rights, but human rights,” said Borough President Adams. “The right to housing, the right to employment, the right to healthcare, the right to not be prosecuted unfairly; all those who feel America has denied them, this is your Selma moment.”
“We call on all New Yorkers who believe in civil rights and racial equality to join us in support of the Selma marchers of 1965 and today, because ‘Selma is Everywhere.’” said Siegel. “In the struggle for racial justice, Selma was a great turning point. Let us remember and let it be our guide in fulfilling the dream of equality for all.”
Additional partners that signed on to today’s march include Comptroller Scott Stringer; Public Advocate Letitia James; Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer; State Senator Jesse Hamilton; Assembly Members Walter Mosley, Felix Ortiz, N. Nick Perry, Jo Anne Simon, and Latrice Walker; Council Members Robert Cornegy, Jr., Laurie Cumbo, Mathieu Eugene, Alan Maisel, Carlos Menchaca, Mark Treyger, and Jumaane D. Williams; District Leaders Olanike Alabi, Anthony T. Jones, Shirley Patterson, Nick Rizzo and Josh Skaller; Brooklyn Community Boards 2, 6, 7, and 17; Pitkin Avenue Business Improvement District; 500 Men Making a Difference; Berean Community Drumline; The Black Institute; Brooklyn NAACP; Brooklyn College Democrats; Brooklyn United Marching Band; Carroll Gardens Association; Community First Democratic Club; The Doe Fund; East Flatbush Village, Inc.; Green Earth Poets Café; Leaders of Tomorrow Brooklyn; NYC Legacy Builders; Pearls for Her; People First Democratic Club; Professional Staff Congress; Redemption, Inc.; Repair the World; UPROSE; Vanguard Independent Democratic Association; Bereca Baptist Church; Christ Temple United Baptist Church; Global Fire Church; The House of the Lord; St. Paul Community Baptist Church; Bishop Eric Garnes; Bishop Dr. Annette Lazarus-Rose; Minister Carline Allicock; Pastor Lawrence Akers; Pastor Donna Baptiste; Pastor Jacquelyn R. Bullock; Pastor Charles Galbreath; Pastor Theresa Lindsay; Pastor Sarah McCaslin; Rabbi Andy Bachman; Rev. Dietra C. Bell; Rev. David Brawley; Rev. Dennis Dillon; Rev. Jerry West; Rev. Kermitt Williams; Rev. Carmen Mason Browne; Rev. Kim Council; Rev. Chryll D. Crews; Rev. Dr. Gwendolyn Hadley-Hall; Rev. Jane Huber; Rev. Simone Lord; Rev. Kerlin Richter; Dr. Agnes Blackmon; Dr. Arlene Griffin; Dr. Eulalia Sentino; and Dr. Dianne Waterman.
“Today, we stand in solidarity, as a testament to the historic march from Selma to Montgomery where courageous men and women risked their lives in the pursuit of civil rights and equality for all,” said Council Member Cumbo. “As a woman of color, I am the realization of their resolve to live in a society where we embrace diversity and not conformity; protect one’s right to vote; but also create opportunities that unify and strengthen our communities. Though we have made great strides to overcome many challenges, our work continues. As we commemorate this pivotal moment in our nation’s history by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, we remember their sacrifice and honor their memories by recommitting ourselves to ending the injustices that people of color continue to face fifty years later.”
“The Selma to Montgomery marches signify a major turning point in our nation’s history,” said Council Member Eugene. “It is very important that we all come together to commemorate these momentous events that contributed so much to the ideals of this nation that the same opportunities be provided to this nation regardless of race, religion or ethnicity. We should all continue to work together to ensure that America remains the land where everyone can equally benefit from what we call a democracy.”
“50 years ago, civil rights activists led marches over the Edmund Pettis Bridge from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery; those historic marches helped bring about the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” said Council Member Maisel. “Today, there are still some people that wish to take away or diminish the voting rights of others; I am proud to stand with Borough President Eric Adams in commemoration of this momentous occasion in solidarity and with a commitment to continue the fight for civil rights and equality for all.”
“The fight for equality is a universal effort that continues 50 years after the historic march on Selma,” said Council Member Treyger. “We must keep working as a city and nation to ensure fairness, equity and justice in all areas of our life and build on the lessons learned over the past half century. We can do much more to fight the forms of inequity that still exists in our society, so I am honored to march alongside Borough President Adams and connect the legacy of Selma to New York City. Considering that so many New Yorkers participated in this historic march in 1965, it is fitting that we mark this pivotal moment in our nation’s history here in Brooklyn. There is no question that Selma truly is everywhere and that we must remain committed to advancing civil rights for all.”
“I am proud to march with Borough President Eric Adams and my fellow Brooklynites to commemorate the Selma to Montgomery March,” said District Leader Josh Skaller. “In crossing our bridge, I am once again inspired by the will and tenacity of a movement that, through the force of conviction, would not be turned away. The fight for justice and equality for all people continues, and just as the marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, we will, together, arrive.”
“Today we remember the Selma marchers and all of those who passionately fought for civil rights, as we continue to fight for racial equality right here in Brooklyn,” said John Wasserman, president of the Brooklyn College Democrats. “From criminal justice reform to improving police and community relations to creating educational opportunities, this city and our Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams are dedicated to improving civil rights for the entire nation. Despite the tragedies of Eric Gardner, Akai Gurley, Officer Liu, and Officer Ramos, our borough stands united.”
“The march on Selma represents a pivotal moment not just for the civil rights movement, but for our nation and the world,” said L. Joy Williams, president of the Brooklyn NAACP. “The Brooklyn NAACP is proud and honored to carry on the powerful legacy sparked by that movement in continuing to fight for the rights of communities of color here in New York and across America. As we march in commemoration of that historic event, we must also remember just how far we still have to go towards achieving true justice and equality for all. As Common said, ‘Selma is now.’ I hope you will join us in marching to Brooklyn Borough Hall on behalf of those freedom fighters who so courageously marched for us 50 years ago.”
“All of us at The Doe Fund– and especially the “men in blue”– are so proud to stand with Borough President Adams to mark this historic anniversary,” said George T. McDonald, founder and president of The Doe Fund. “The legacy of Selma is with us always, and leadership like the Borough President’s will define how our generation achieves true, lasting equality and prosperity for all New Yorkers.”
“East Flatbush Village Inc. is proud to stand with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and our neighbors in solidarity with our ancestors who stood up for us in Selma 50 years ago,” said Joan Bakiriddin, executive director of East Flatbush Village, Inc. “We are grateful that Borough President Adams coordinated this event and extended his hand to include everyone who would like to join because ‘we are Selma!’”
“The civil rights movement is not over. This is a moment to honor its history and to build its future,” said Arthurine Desola, secretary of the Professional Staff Congress, the 27,000-member union of CUNY faculty and staff. “Our CUNY students live and learn in a better world because of the bravery and strategy of the generation of activists who organized in Selma and elsewhere. I’m marching in remembrance of them, and I’m marching in support of the young people I see in the streets today, declaring Black Lives Matter and demanding respect and economic justice.”
PHOTOS
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams speaks before a march he held with civil rights attorney Norman Siegel across the Brooklyn Bridge with over five hundred New Yorkers, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first of three marches conducted by civil rights activists in 1965 from Selma, Alabama to the state’s capital of Montgomery; he is joined by (from left to right) Consul General of the Netherlands in New York Rob de Vos, Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, Assembly Member Walter Mosley, Siegel, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and Vulcans Society President Regina Wilson.
Photo Credit: Kathryn Kirk/Brooklyn BP’s Office
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams walks arm-in-arm with (from left to right) civil rights attorney Norman Siegel, Dr. Karen S. Daughtry, wife of nationally prominent pastor Reverend Dr. Herbert Daughtry, and State Senator Jesse Hamilton during a march he held with civil rights attorney Norman Siegel across the Brooklyn Bridge with over five hundred New Yorkers, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first of three marches conducted by civil rights activists in 1965 from Selma, Alabama to the state’s capital of Montgomery.
Photo Credit: Kathryn Kirk/Brooklyn BP’s Office
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams crosses the Brooklyn Bridge with over five hundred New Yorkers during a march he held with civil rights attorney Norman Siegel, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first of three marches conducted by civil rights activists in 1965 from Selma, Alabama to the state’s capital of Montgomery.
Photo Credit: Kathryn Kirk/Brooklyn BP’s Office
-30-
