Three Marches, Two Sisters, One Bridge

On Saturday, August 8, 2026, our League showed Three Marches, Two Sisters, One Bridge as part of Voting Rights Day of Action, a national day of civic action in honor of the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Events centered on increasing voter engagement, turnout and education.

The documentary is about two teenage sisters who took part in three marches for voting rights in Alabama in 1965. They joined John Lewis and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the three marches that eventually went from Selma to Montgomery.

Charles Thomas Jr. of Southfield, Michigan -- a member of the League of Women Voters of Michigan (LWVMI) -- is the nephew of the two sisters. Charles talks with his aunts, Alice Moore and Denise Holt, asking them the questions frequently posed at screenings of the documentary. They share their memories of those marches and their reflections on the current state of voter apathy.

Following the documentary, two local residents shared their experiences.

Rev. Jack Richards, of Grayling, attended the 25th anniversary commemoration of the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” march, and shared a church pulpit with Congressman John Lewis before marching. Rev. Richards shared a religious perspective, emphasizing how important it was to Congressman Lewis to offer communion in a Christian church before joining the march in support of voting rights.

Connie Novak, also of Grayling, shared her experiences from the 1960s using her extensive scrapbook, which begins with the foundation of her involvement with the Wesley Foundation, a campus ministry of the United Methodist Church. She went to Montgomery, Alabama, as a young college student to support the efforts of the Civil Rights movement including voting rights for all. She was motivated to be involved by Dr. Martin Luther King and helped with local voter registration by going door-to-door. She also experienced shocking poverty first-hand and at the same time was cared for by a local family for her three-day stay.

Joining the group by Zoom, Judy Karandjeff, former president of League of Women Voters of Michigan (LWVMI), also shared personal experiences, having crossed the Pettus Bridge in the third march with National Guard protection and also the fourth march into Montgomery with 25,000 other voting rights advocates. Judy joined the League of Women Voters as a young woman and has continued her active involvement working to advocate and educate voters. She left the attendees with a message of caution, indicating that there is a struggle to maintain voting rights and the League is actively watching and advocating.

Since our country’s founding, thousands of Americans have fought for the right to vote, mostly non-violently, though their protests were often met with violence. The reflections of the sisters in the documentary and those of the three panelists presented an historical perspective and a foundation for future action and advocacy by the LWVNCM.

Voting rights are precious. People have fought and died to not only gain them, but to protect them.

Don’t take your right to vote for granted. Get out and vote!

The documentory, Three Marches, Two Sisters, One Bridge, can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFxxgPs7AkE.