Ms. Harris described the marchers on that day as “preparing for the worst” and were kneeling in prayer as the state troopers charged at them.

“Those brave marches continued to push forward to secure the freedom to vote. And they were pushed back. Today we stand on this bridge at a different time. We again, however, find ourselves caught in between injustice and justice, between disappointment and determination, still in a fight, to form a more perfect union,” she said.

“Nowhere is that more clear,” she said, “than when it comes to the ongoing fight to secure the freedom to vote.”

“A record number of people cast their ballots in the 2020 elections. It was a triumph of democracy in many ways. But not everyone saw it that way. Some saw it as a threat. And so as powerful people have done many times in our nation’s history, they launched an assault on the freedom to vote,” Ms. Harris said.