By Glynn Wilson –

Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Alabama to take part in a Civil Rights anniversary event in March, according to state Senator Hank Sanders, the Selma Democrat.

Sanders made the announcement Saturday in an e-mail message to supporters. He said Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, would be coming down to Selma on March 3 “to celebrate the city’s historic role in the Civil Rights Movement.”

“It is not every day that the Vice President of the United States visits Selma, Dallas County, the Black Belt or the state of Alabama,” Sanders said.

The Bidens will attend a brunch honoring Martin and Coretta Scott King and participate in the annual Edmund Pettus Bridge crossing on U.S. Highway 80 across the Alabama River, an event that recognizes the start of the Selma-to-Montgomery march on “Bloody Sunday” in 1965.

This year marks the 48th anniversary of the historic event. President Bill Clinton joined the march across the bridge in the year 2000, and presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton participated in in 2007.

Sanders warned pastors, church members and participants involved in the events to be prepared for heightened security due to the vice president’s visit.

“All participants must be screened before entering into the affected areas,” Sanders said. “Unfortunately, this process can be time consuming and may affect some church services if members choose to participate in these events.”

Last year, protesters came to continue the struggle in the face of Republican attacks on human rights.

© 2013, Glynn Wilson. All rights reserved. The Locust Fork News-Journal, LocustFork.Net

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