African American Army veteran Jimmy Lee Jackson was one of those brave citizens who sacrificed their lives for others.
Jackson, who attended mass meetings in support of Civil Rights in the '50s and '60s, left Zion United Methodist Church in 1965 on a cold February night with 500 marchers in his hometown of Marion, Alabama, for the County Jail, where a civil rights activist was being held. They had plans to sing hymns, pray, and return to their house of worship. Instead, they were encountered by a squadron of police and State Patrolmen, who beat them relentlessly with nightsticks as they retreated to their church and elsewhere for safety. (1) Law enforcement, who shot out street lights ahead of the march, claimed the protesters were planning a jailbreak.
Jackson and his family found refuge in a black-owned business. When spotted by police, the beatings continued. First, they attacked his elderly grandfather. When Jackson's mother attempted to pull the officers off him, she was beaten, prompting Jackson to intervene. He was knocked against a vending machine before being shot twice in the abdomen by State police. He stumbled outside, where he collapsed on the ground.
Friends transported Jackson to the segregated hospital miles away in Selma instead of the forbidden local white hospital, which may have saved his life. Before succumbing to his wounds, Jackson recounted how he was beaten and shot before collapsing outside to the press or anyone who would listen. Jackson's death prompted the Selma to Montgomery March and the passage of the Voting Rights Act as a fitting tribute to a man who not only attempted to vote but encouraged others to do the same.
Jackson, who attended mass meetings in support of Civil Rights in the '50s and '60s, left Zion United Methodist Church in 1965 on a cold February night with 500 marchers in his hometown of Marion, Alabama, for the County Jail, where a civil rights activist was being held. They had plans to sing hymns, pray, and return to their house of worship. Instead, they were encountered by a squadron of police and State Patrolmen, who beat them relentlessly with nightsticks as they retreated to their church and elsewhere for safety. (1) Law enforcement, who shot out street lights ahead of the march, claimed the protesters were planning a jailbreak.
Jackson and his family found refuge in a black-owned business. When spotted by police, the beatings continued. First, they attacked his elderly grandfather. When Jackson's mother attempted to pull the officers off him, she was beaten, prompting Jackson to intervene. He was knocked against a vending machine before being shot twice in the abdomen by State police. He stumbled outside, where he collapsed on the ground.
Friends transported Jackson to the segregated hospital miles away in Selma instead of the forbidden local white hospital, which may have saved his life. Before succumbing to his wounds, Jackson recounted how he was beaten and shot before collapsing outside to the press or anyone who would listen. Jackson's death prompted the Selma to Montgomery March and the passage of the Voting Rights Act as a fitting tribute to a man who not only attempted to vote but encouraged others to do the same.
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