Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, will visit Selma on March 3 to participate in the annual crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, according to state Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma.
Sanders said in an email Saturday that the Bidens were coming to Selma
to celebrate the city’s historic role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Sanders said that, during their visit, the Bidens will attend a brunch honoring Martin and Coretta King and participate in the bridge crossing.
The annual event recognizes the start of the Selma to Montgomery march on "Bloody Sunday" in 1965. The bridge carries U.S. Highway 80 across the Alabama River in Selma.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the commemorative march, which organizers said will celebrate the right to vote.
President Bill Clinton joined the march across the bridge in 2000. In 2007, then-presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton participated in the event.
Sanders said pastors and church members in the area should be prepared for heightened security and apologized in advance for any inconveniences caused by the visit.
"It is not every day that the Vice President of the United States visits Selma, Dallas County, the Black Belt, or the State of Alabama," he said.
The White House on Saturday confirmed that the Bidens were scheduled to travel to Selma on March 3 and said further details about the trip "are forthcoming."