Montgomery, AL – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-7) and Rep. Shomari Figures (AL-2) for a press conference at the historic Montgomery Greyhound Bus Station to address the Trump administration’s proposed selling of the Freedom Rides Museum.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Good afternoon everyone. It’s an honor to be here with Representative Terri Sewell, my sister, an incredible civil rights champion and an incredible Member of Congress. And to be joined by the distinguished gentleman from the great state of Alabama, the Congressman representing this very district, Shomari Figures, who is off to a tremendous start. And we look forward to our continued partnership and the continued leadership of Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures. I’m thankful that they quickly sprung into action to make sure that this incredibly important museum, the Freedom Rides Museum, is protected from the type of reckless tyranny being unleashed by some in Washington to try to erase our history. Our civil rights history is not for sale. The progress of the Civil Rights Movement is not for sale. The struggle that the Civil Rights Movement represented to bring about a more perfect union is not for sale. And we are committed to standing behind the Freedom Rides Museum, standing behind this monument and elevating the incredibly important history that it represents.

We’ve come a long way in America, but we still have a way to go. That’s evident by the events that are unfolding day after day in Washington, D.C. This is an incredibly important weekend in the United States of America as we commemorate, here in Alabama, the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. We’re thankful for what the courage and character and conviction of heroes like John Lewis represented that day.
And we are determined to channel that courage, channel that character, channel that conviction to both protect the gains that were made by the Civil Rights Movement, as represented by the Freedom Rides Museum, the sacrifice of those brave civil rights foot soldiers and freedom riders who fought for an America that could be the best version of herself. We will never walk away from that effort, and we will do everything we need to do to protect the history and legacy of the Civil Rights Movement.

Full press conference can be watched here. 

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