The Southern Poverty Law Center on Wednesday hosted a panel to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and discuss how the history of civil rights activism informs the present.

“This is not a moment to feel nostalgic,” Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said in remarks before the panel discussion. “It’s a moment to feel responsible, because the responsibility now rests with us.”

The panel featured Democratic U.S. Representative Shomari Figures, Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District; Tafeni English-Relf, SPLC Alabama state director; State Senator Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery; and sisters Jeanette Howard-Moore and Margaret Howard, who participated in the Bloody Sunday March in Selma 60 years ago as children.

Howard-Moore recalled the historic event, which she participated in at j

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