SELMA, Al. () — This weekend marks 60 years since the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery which came to be known as Bloody Sunday.

In 1965, civil rights activists organized the march to press for voter registration rights for African Americans in the South. However, they were violently confronted by local authorities along the way. Demonstrators were beaten, sprayed with tear gas and charged by troops on horses.

The shocking scene was broadcast across America and compelled Washington to respond with the Civil Rights Act of 1965.

Now the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee is held each year in honor of the incident, and this year’s festivities began on March 6. Events include a mass meeting, a foot soldiers’ breakfast, the Jubilee parade and street festival, a concert, a variety of roundtable events and more.