Actors in the film "Selma" marched in Alabama Sunday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and his work in the civil rights movement.
Oprah Winfrey, a producer and actress in the film, joined director Ava DuVernay, actor David Oyelowo, who played King in the film, and rapper Common, who also played a role in the film, for the march, according to the News Observer. The march began at Selma City Hall and ended at the city's Edmund Pettus Bridge, where civil rights protesters were beaten and tear-gassed by police officers in 1965.
"Every single person who was on that bridge is a hero," Winfrey said to marchers before they walked up the bridge.
Common and John Legend performed their song "Glory" from the movie as the marchers reached the top of the bridge. Winfrey played Annie Lee Cooper in the movie. "Selma" is about the campaign leading up to the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.
Law enforcement officers used clubs and tear gas March 7, 1965, to deter marchers from reaching the Alabama capital, ABC News reported. Protesters were seeking the right to vote when "Bloody Sunday" occurred. King led a new march starting March 21, 1965, and reached Montgomery days later with a crowd of about 25,000 people.
Other King events planned for Monday's holiday include a wreath-laying ceremony in Maryland, a tribute breakfast in Boston and volunteer service activities in Illinois held by churches and community groups.
