Thousands gathered on Saturday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
Major political figures, including U.S. President Barack Obama, were also in attendance. The historic event, which took place on Sunday, March 7, 1965, is known as "Bloody Sunday" due to the violent police action taken against non-violent protesters marching on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.
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Remembered as much for its political import as for its disturbing scenes of violence, Bloody Sunday later led to the Voting Rights Act, which prevents discrimination in voting.
For some, those black-and-white images are particularly resonant, given the recent series of protests sparked by police shootings of unarmed black men across the United States.
In addition to Obama, who arrived in Selma to deliver a speech for the march's 50th anniversary, former President George W. Bush and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder were also on hand.
During his 40-minute speech Obama said, “If Selma taught us anything, it’s that our work is never done.”
We've compiled a gallery of images of Saturday's event, below:
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