{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sewell.house.gov/2024/3/in-honor-of-the-59th-anniversary-of-bloody-sunday-rep-sewell-to-bring-original-foot-soldiers-as-guests-to-the-state-of-the-union", "Rep. Sewell Brings Original Foot Soldiers as Guests to the State of the Union Exactly 59 Years After Bloody Sunday", "2024-03-07", "2024", "2024-03", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Terri A. Sewell", "S001185", "sewell.house.gov", "sewell", "https://sewell.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "President Biden delivers his annual address exactly 59 years after Bloody Sunday\n\nWashington D.C. \u2014 Today, on the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) brought bring three original Foot Soldiers from the Selma to Montgomery marches as her guests to the 2024 State of the Union address. Ms. Sheyann Webb-Christburg, Mr. Bennie Lee Tucker, and Ms. JoAnne Bland joined Rep. Sewell on Thursday as President Biden delivered his annual address exactly 59 years after peaceful demonstrators were brutalized on the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the equal right to vote. Rep. Sewell also invited Perry County Commissioner Albert Turner Jr. of Marion, Alabama whose father, Albert Turner Sr., helped lead the Selma to Montgomery March and served as an advisor to Martin Luther King Jr.\n\n\u201cWith President Biden\u2019s State of the Union address falling on the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, I can think of no one more befitting to invite as my guests than some of the original Foot Soldiers from the Selma to Montgomery marches,\u201d said Rep. Sewell. \u201cThese individuals have risked life and limb for the right of all Americans to vote, and their lives are a testament to the power of ordinary Americans to achieve extraordinary social change. As our right to vote comes under renewed threat, it is my hope that their presence will bring attention to the sacrifices that so many have made in the name of equality and justice for all.\u201d\n\nSheyann Webb-Christburg is a native of the historic Selma, Alabama and is known as Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s \u2018\u2019Smallest Freedom Fighter.\u2019\u2019 At only eight years old, she participated in the historic march for voting rights that would later become known as Bloody Sunday. Sheyann\u2019s activism began at an early age when she became one of the first children to integrate the public school system in Dallas County. Against her parents\u2019 wishes, she continued her journey as a Freedom Fighter when she began attending Civil Rights meetings at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church. Since Bloody Sunday, Sheyann has worked with many giants of the Civil Rights Movement and is a published author of the book Selma, Lord, Selma which recounts her experience on Bloody Sunday.\n\nBennie Lee Tucker moved to Selma in 1962 to attend Selma University. He had a scholarship and intended to become a Baptist preacher. However, after two years in Selma he became a civil rights activist and worked very closely with Martin Luther King, Jr., serving as his bodyguard. He participated in the marches on Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, and the successful Selma to Montgomery march. Later, he served as a Selma City Councilman for 16 years.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:32:04Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sewell.house.gov/2024/3/in-honor-of-the-59th-anniversary-of-bloody-sunday-rep-sewell-to-bring-original-foot-soldiers-as-guests-to-the-state-of-the-union"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6146423295140266, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}