A look back at Bloody Sunday’s 50th anniversary


To commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, UM News revisits its 2015 trip to Selma, Alabama, to cover the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches to protest racial segregation and support the rights of African Americans to vote.

Retired bishop Woodie White and his students from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, along with other United Methodists, joined an estimated crowd of 80,000 who packed Selma, Alabama, March 7-8, 2015, for a weekend of events including a speech by President Barack Obama. The trip culminated with a march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, where a violent confrontation between police and peaceful marchers occurred March 8, 1965. The clash helped bring about passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

See images and hear audio from the day in video above.

Read more about the anniversary march in our story, United Methodists Return for Bloody Sunday 50th.


Like what you're reading? Support the ministry of UM News! Your support ensures the latest denominational news, dynamic stories and informative articles will continue to connect our global community. Make a tax-deductible donation at ResourceUMC.org/GiveUMCom.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now
Bishops
Bishops Gaspar J. Domingos, Ande I. Emmanuel and Nelson Kalombo Ngoy follow proceedings during the Africa College of Bishops opening worship service held at First United Methodist Church in Monrovia, Liberia. The church, which was built in 1822, is the oldest Protestant church in Africa. Photo courtesy of Liberia Annual Conference Communications.

African bishops celebrate growth, ecumenism

United Methodist episcopal leaders in Africa gathered in Liberia to discuss regionalization, stewardship, sustainability and other issues affecting the continent.
Faith Stories
Bishop Alfred F. “Fritz” Mutti III, who led United Methodists in Kansas from 1992 to 2004, died Sept. 1 at age 88. Alongside his late wife, he advocated for LGBTQ inclusion and helped establish the United Methodist Global AIDS Committee and Fund. Photo courtesy of the Council of Bishops.

Bishop Mutti, leader in AIDS fight, dies

Retired Bishop Albert Frederick “Fritz” Mutti, alongside his late wife, advocated for LGBTQ inclusion and helped establish the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund. The couple’s tireless advocacy came out of great personal loss.
Human Rights
The Rev. Christopher P. Momany. Photo by Kristen Schell.

On human dignity: People are ends in themselves

The teaching in Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical has strong similarities with the ideas that drove the abolitionist movement in America.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2026 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved