Rep. John Lewis remembers Selma, 51 years later

Civil rights icon John Lewis took to Twitter Monday to remember the historic Selma to Montgomery marches.

March 7 marked the 51st anniversary of the marches, which the congressman remembers as the “highest point” in the civil rights movement.

In an interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution ahead of the 50th anniversary of Selma, Lewis recalled filling his backpack that day with an apple, an orange, two books, a toothbrush and toothpaste. It was preparation for a cell, not a fractured skull.

Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, tweeted a series of photos and personal memories from the march.

“I was hit in the head by a State Trooper. I thought I saw death. I thought I was going to die,” Lewis tweeted with the hashtag #Selma51.

I was hit in the head by a State Trooper. I thought I saw death. I thought I was going to die. #Selma51 pic.twitter.com/N4CDxv2vJG
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2016

At the apex of the bridge, high above the Alabama River, Hosea Williams asked if I could swim. I said no. #Selma51 pic.twitter.com/dlEXA8dJ6X
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 7, 2016

ExploreRemembering John Lewis: The life and legacy of the Georgia congressman and civil rights icon

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