Journey for Justice comes through Fayetteville
FAYETTEVILLE, NC (WTVD) -- The North Carolina leg of a national march from Selma to Washington, D.C. came through the Sandhills Tuesday.
More than 60 marchers took part in the NAACP-sponsored Journey for Justice. Civil rights activists began the 860-plus mile journey in Selma on August 1. The theme is "Our lives, Our Votes, Our Jobs, Our Schools Matter."
Some marchers have been on the journey since Selma, while others join different legs near their homes.
North Carolina NAACP organizers say the state's diverse march is a show of unity that's especially anchored in voting rights. The group has been at the center of a federal lawsuit challenging the state's election law, including re-districting.
"We're really here making sure the world and nation understand that we are not going backwards on voting rights," said Reverend Curtis Gatewood, the state's NAACP coordinator for the march. "Too much blood, too many tears, too many years and we're going to stand firm."
The marchers came through Hoke County earlier in the week, and are staged at Fayetteville's First Baptist Church for the remainder of the Sandhills leg. Marchers will continue through Cumberland County Tuesday and Wednesday morning. They will be in Wake County on Wednesday afternoon, as well as parts of South Carolina.
More information is here: http://www.naacpnc.org/journey_for_justice.
