Standing on a bridge in Selma, Alabama, March 9th, 1965, this could go either way. There could be violence, persistence, playing out for the camera and the people gathered.

At the head of the group, the leader, one charismatic preacher pauses. He doesn’t stop exactly, he pauses.

This isn’t over.  You feel it in the air. This is not over. Not by a long shot, not as long as injustice remains, not as long as not all people get to make their voices heard in fair, free, democratic elections.

No, this is not over.

To be continued next time. There will be a next time, and a next time, until – one day – all are truly “free at last.”

***

Based on a totally true story. On March 9th, 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. famously paused his march to Alabama in order to give officials a chance to better guard the route. It wasn’t a stop, just a pause on his way to protest unjusty voting practices in the United States – a fight that continues to this day for many. In a 21st century America, where many people continue to wonder if “voting matters” (or if representation at all levels of society matters), it’s worth remembering that a really smart, really brave leader thought it mattered a whole lot. Because, I believe, it does.