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New state voting laws focus of Selma, Ala. march

Article by: SUZANNE GAMBOA Associated Press

• February 7, 2012 –

WASHINGTON – Civil rights, labor and immigration activists say they are returning to Selma, Ala. next month to protest state laws they say will largely prevent black and Latino voters, the poor, students and the elderly from voting.

The protest will begin March 4 with a five-day march at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where civil rights marchers were gassed and beaten by state troopers in 1965. The day became known as Bloody Sunday. This year’s march will end with a rally at the Montgomery, Ala., courthouse.

The Rev. Al Sharpton says the march is a way to bring drama and national attention to the voting rights debate. Marchers also will protest Alabama’s immigration law. Another rally is planned March 27 at the Supreme Court to support health care reforms.