President Barack Obama spoke in Selma, Alabama, on Saturday afternoon, paying tribute to some 600 peaceful protesters who were attacked by Alabama state troopers while marching for voting rights 50 years ago this weekend.
"There are places and moments in America where this nation's destiny has been decided,” Obama said. "Selma is such a place… We have to recognize that one day's commemoration, no matter how special, is not enough. If Selma taught us anything, it's that our work is never done.”
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But, "we just need to open our eyes and our ears and our hearts to know that this nations' racial history still casts its long shadow upon us,” he said. "Our march is not yet finished, but we're getting closer.”
To that end, Obama encouraged lawmakers to support renewal of the Voting Rights Act, which he said still faces hurdles, and he encouraged all Americans but especially young people to embrace "the imperative of citizenship.”
Read the full transcript of the president's speech, as it was prepared for delivery, over at Time.
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