The marchers are long gone from Selma, Ala. The poverty persists.
“The state of affairs in Selma is perhaps a testament to the unfulfilled promise of Martin Luther King Jr., who had shifted his focus to the struggles of the poor and of rural America in the final months of his life. King called his new movement the Poor People’s Campaign, and he envisioned people of all races uniting to demand a living wage and better access to education and health care. He also wanted to pressure state and federal leaders into doing more to encourage economic development in rural America—not just by creating jobs but also ensuring that communities had access to basic amenities like grocery stores and hospitals.”