SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Diane Nash (center) marches with other civil rights movement leaders.
(Screenshot via Freedom Riders/ PBS)
Original Selma Organizer Refused to March Alongside Bush
Civil rights movement leader Diane Nash calls former President George W. Bush's attendance at Selma anniversary "an insult to people who believe in nonviolence"
Mar 09, 2015
Noted civil rights organizer and activist Diane Nash, who had led the initial walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, boycotted the 50th anniversary commemoration march this weekend because of the "insulting" participation of former President George W. Bush.
Nash told NewsOne Now on Saturday that she "refused to march" once it was apparent that the former president "was going to be a part of it."
"I think the Selma Movement was about nonviolence and peace and democracy and George Bush stands for just the opposite--for violence and war and stolen elections," said Nash.
Nash, along with her husband at the time James Bevel and a handful of others, co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and initiated the Alabama Voting Rights Project, which culminated in the infamous Selma to Montgomery marches. During one attempt to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, activists were violently attacked by local police forces, an encounter that was caught on camera by local news sources and broadcasted widely, drawing national attention to the southern civil rights movement.
During the brief interview with NewsOne, Nash also referenced the Bush administration's use of torture, adding that she "thought that this was not an appropriate event for him."
"George Bush's presence is an insult to me and to people who really do believe in nonviolence," Nash continued, voicing concern that the nonviolent legacy of the Selma Movement would now be "confused."
A vocal proponent of the principle of nonviolence, in addition to her role in organizing the Alabama Voting Rights Project, Nash is also credited with helping launch the initial lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville as well as the Freedom Rider bus desegregation efforts. Because of her leadership, Nash was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to a national committee that prepared for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"Back in the 1960's we did not know if nonviolence would work," Nash told NewsOne. "Now we know that it does." Nash said that she thought the Selma March anniversary "should have been a celebration of nonviolence," which she added, was "definitely one of the most significant social inventions of the 20th century."
The entire NewsOne interview with Diane Nash can be viewed below.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Noted civil rights organizer and activist Diane Nash, who had led the initial walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, boycotted the 50th anniversary commemoration march this weekend because of the "insulting" participation of former President George W. Bush.
Nash told NewsOne Now on Saturday that she "refused to march" once it was apparent that the former president "was going to be a part of it."
"I think the Selma Movement was about nonviolence and peace and democracy and George Bush stands for just the opposite--for violence and war and stolen elections," said Nash.
Nash, along with her husband at the time James Bevel and a handful of others, co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and initiated the Alabama Voting Rights Project, which culminated in the infamous Selma to Montgomery marches. During one attempt to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, activists were violently attacked by local police forces, an encounter that was caught on camera by local news sources and broadcasted widely, drawing national attention to the southern civil rights movement.
During the brief interview with NewsOne, Nash also referenced the Bush administration's use of torture, adding that she "thought that this was not an appropriate event for him."
"George Bush's presence is an insult to me and to people who really do believe in nonviolence," Nash continued, voicing concern that the nonviolent legacy of the Selma Movement would now be "confused."
A vocal proponent of the principle of nonviolence, in addition to her role in organizing the Alabama Voting Rights Project, Nash is also credited with helping launch the initial lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville as well as the Freedom Rider bus desegregation efforts. Because of her leadership, Nash was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to a national committee that prepared for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"Back in the 1960's we did not know if nonviolence would work," Nash told NewsOne. "Now we know that it does." Nash said that she thought the Selma March anniversary "should have been a celebration of nonviolence," which she added, was "definitely one of the most significant social inventions of the 20th century."
The entire NewsOne interview with Diane Nash can be viewed below.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Noted civil rights organizer and activist Diane Nash, who had led the initial walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, boycotted the 50th anniversary commemoration march this weekend because of the "insulting" participation of former President George W. Bush.
Nash told NewsOne Now on Saturday that she "refused to march" once it was apparent that the former president "was going to be a part of it."
"I think the Selma Movement was about nonviolence and peace and democracy and George Bush stands for just the opposite--for violence and war and stolen elections," said Nash.
Nash, along with her husband at the time James Bevel and a handful of others, co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and initiated the Alabama Voting Rights Project, which culminated in the infamous Selma to Montgomery marches. During one attempt to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, activists were violently attacked by local police forces, an encounter that was caught on camera by local news sources and broadcasted widely, drawing national attention to the southern civil rights movement.
During the brief interview with NewsOne, Nash also referenced the Bush administration's use of torture, adding that she "thought that this was not an appropriate event for him."
"George Bush's presence is an insult to me and to people who really do believe in nonviolence," Nash continued, voicing concern that the nonviolent legacy of the Selma Movement would now be "confused."
A vocal proponent of the principle of nonviolence, in addition to her role in organizing the Alabama Voting Rights Project, Nash is also credited with helping launch the initial lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville as well as the Freedom Rider bus desegregation efforts. Because of her leadership, Nash was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to a national committee that prepared for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"Back in the 1960's we did not know if nonviolence would work," Nash told NewsOne. "Now we know that it does." Nash said that she thought the Selma March anniversary "should have been a celebration of nonviolence," which she added, was "definitely one of the most significant social inventions of the 20th century."
The entire NewsOne interview with Diane Nash can be viewed below.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.