About 100 set out to retrace Selma-to-Montgomery march

John Rankin, an original marker from 1965, leads the way as they cross Edmund Pettus Bridge marching towards Montgomery Monday, March 9, 2015, in Selma, Ala., to mark the 50th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," a civil rights march in which protesters were beaten, trampled and tear-gassed by police at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) John Rankin, an original marker from 1965, leads the way as they cross Edmund Pettus Bridge marching towards Montgomery Monday, March 9, 2015, in Selma, Ala., to mark the 50th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," a civil rights march in which protesters were beaten, trampled and tear-gassed by police at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

By Associated Press March 9, 2015 3 min read

SELMA, Ala. (AP) – A group of about 100 people set out Monday to retrace the historic steps taken 50 years ago, when demonstrators pushing for equal voting rights marched from Selma, Alabama, to the state Capitol in Montgomery.

Back then, it was their third attempt to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. During their first try, they were beaten by state and local police on March 7, 1965, in what would become known as “Bloody Sunday.” On the second attempt, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. turned the march around on the bridge. The third time, the demonstrators made the 54-mile trek Montgomery, stopping each day after about 10 miles.

Here are some stories from the current march:

THEN AND NOW

Tall and lean, John Rankin, 68, wearing a reflective vest and an “I love Jesus” button, walked past the burned out shells of homes that once served the now-closed Craig Air Force base on the outskirts of Selma.