Standing in the shadow of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Saturday, President Barack Obama reminded those listening of the importance of what happened on that structure just fifty years ago.

“There are places, and moments in America where this nation’s destiny has been decided,” he said. “Many are sites of war – Concord and Lexington, Appomattox and Gettysburg. Others are sites that symbolize the daring of America’s character – Independence Hall and Seneca Falls, Kitty Hawk and Cape Canaveral. Selma is such a place.”

While the images of the brutality of Bloody Sunday are terrible to recall, the determination and vision of the marchers must be remembered by all.

The marchers – of all colors, creeds and backgrounds – changed the world fifty years ago.

Before I came to Baldwin County, I worked at The Selma Times-Journal, and I learned from so many people there the importance of what happened on Bloody Sunday.

The office of the Times-Journal sits at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. I ran the bridge at night with friends, and crossed it hundreds of times on foot and by car on my way to and from so many assignments.

I had the honor of covering the Bridge Crossing Jubilee last March, as thousands of marchers walked arm-in-arm up the bridge’s steep incline, paused prayer under its trademark archway and walked to the other side.

No matter how many years pass, or how the old bridge ages, it will always be a symbol of struggle and determination.

When you stand at either end of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, you have no idea what lies on the other side.

When the marchers left Brown Chapel A.M.E. on March 7, 1965, they didn’t know if they would make it to Montgomery.

But they walked.

When they got to the apex of the bridge, they could see a line of hecklers and Alabama State Troopers.

But they walked.

We all have struggles in our lives – as individuals, families, countries and cultures – and we don’t know how those struggles will be resolved.

But we need to walk.

In a struggle, the important thing is to find a goal, and move in that direction – whether at full gallup or at a crawl.

We simply need to walk.