House Republican Leader Headed to Selma

2 minute read
By Charlotte Alter/Montgomery, Ala.

In a reversal of plans, Kevin McCarthy, the second-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, will join around 100 members of Congress who are gathering in Alabama this weekend to commemorate the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” Before McCarthy’s announcement, no members of the Republican leadership in Congress had been scheduled to attend the event.

Rep. McCarthy, the House Majority Leader, changed his plans late Friday, after a day of widespread media coverage of the lack of Republican leadership in the congressional delegation.

President Obama is scheduled to speak Saturday at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., to honor the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights march that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA,) Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA,) Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) are among the bipartisan coalition led by Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) in his annual Civil Rights pilgrimage with the Faith & Politics Institute. Lewis was one of the student protestors on the bridge in 1965, and was in the crowd that was attacked by police for demanding voting rights.

In remarks to members of Congress traveling with Lewis Friday evening, Portman recalled how Lewis convinced him to attend the event at the White House Christmas Party last year. Pelosi told the audience that the event was “not even bipartisan– it’s nonpartisan.”

As many as 100,000 people are expected to convene in Selma Saturday to hear the President speak.

See Barack Obama's Historic Event in Selma

Barack Obama Selma Bloody Sundy 50 Anniversary
President Barack Obama speaks in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. on March 7, 2015.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images
Barack Obama Selma Bloody Sundy 50 Anniversary
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hold hands with former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, and Rep. John Lewis during commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 'Bloody Sunday' historical civil rights march at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. on March 7, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters
Barack Obama Selma Bloody Sundy 50 Anniversary
President Barack Obama hugs Rep. John Lewis, one of the original marchers at Selma, at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. on March 7, 2015. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images
Barack Obama Selma Bloody Sundy 50 Anniversary
The crowd takes photos and cheer for President Barack Obama as he speaks near the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. on March 7, 2015.Gerald Herbert—AP
Barack Obama Selma Bloody Sundy 50 Anniversary
President Barack Obama talks to a young member of the audience after speaking in Selma, Ala. on March 7, 2015.Dan Anderson—EPA
Barack Obama Selma Bloody Sundy 50 Anniversary
President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, their daughters Malia and Sasha, as well as members of Congress and civil rights leaders make a symbolic walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. on March 7, 2015.Jacquelyn Martin—AP
Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Malia Obama, Sasha Obama, Marian Robinson, John Lewis, Amelia Boynton
President Barack Obama, center, walks as he holds hands with Amelia Boynton Robinson and Rep. John Lewis, who were beaten during 'Bloody Sunday,' as they and the first family walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the 50th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" in Selma, Ala. on March 7, 2015.Jacquelyn Martin—AP

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Write to Charlotte Alter/Montgomery, Ala. at charlotte.alter@time.com