it is a 50th apversery of thousands have gathered at the historic bridge where president obama will deliver a speech later today. we'll bring that to you live when it happens. in the fight, though, to drive isis from iraq the militants have destroyed even more intiquities and it's in the eyes. a new billboard uses facial recognition technology to focus that is so often a family

affair. hello, everybody. welcome to "weekends with alex witt" i'm betty nguyen in for betty today. you are seeing live pictures of the edmund pettis bridge. president obama will have remarks. kristen welker is in selma. i want to ask you as you're among the crowd already, what can we expect to hear from the president? >> first of all, we're learning that president obama just arrived here in selma. he should be making his way to the event site momentarily. former president george w. bush is here. and also attorney general eric holder along with tens of thousands of people from all across the country who are anxiously anticipating president

obama's arrival. i've been talking to senior administration officials. one of them telling me that this is an incredibly meaningful event for president obama. he is going to speak at the foot of the edmund pettis bridge. that is where those activists back in 1965 tried to cross the bridge. they were brutally beaten back. they did that in the name of voting rights. ultimately they were successful and that's why the voting rights act got passed. you'll hear president obama talk about the fact that those who marched here in selma helped to pave the way for him to become the african-american president. he'll talk about the fact that in some ways civil rights have been stalled, particularly when you look at the tensions between minority communities and law enforcement officials and communities. and also the 2013 supreme court decision which scaled back a big part of the voting rights act. we'll hear all of that from president obama. we're also going to hear from congressman john lewis. he is here already today. he is, of course, the last living leader of bloody sunday

and the selma march. he spoke with nbc's chuck todd. take a listen to what he had to say. >> scars on the mental scars what has been more lasting? >> well, the physical scars are still visible. when i go back i remember the bridge for me is almost a sacred place. that's where some of us gave a little blood and where some people almost died. but that bridge, what happened on that sunday changed america forever. >> now, of course, president obama is going to be joined by about 100 lawmakers. initially, republican leaders from congress weren't planning to come then on friday in about face house, top house republican leader kevin mccarthy announced he will be here to mark this incredibly poignant anniversary

in the nation's history. i have been talking to a lot of the people who came here from all across the country. they say it is incredible how far this country has gone, but that we still have a lot of work to do. so, i think that those are some of the themes that you're going to hear resignating throughout the day as this crowd awaits president obama's arrival. by the way, i spoke with the governor here. he said we could see a crowd as big as 50,000 people. quite a big event here in selma. >> i don't doubt it. thousands upon thousands there. kristen, thank you so much. we do want to give you a picture now of the edmund pettis bridge. became an iconic image of the nation's civil rights movement. the march 7th, 1965 march from selma to montgomery was marred by a violent police reaction and extensive television coverage brought the civil right into nearly every home in america. in just a short while president obama will address the crowds gathering today in selma.

termain lee joins us in selma. how is the 50th anniversary of the march being remembered where you are? >> i'm down here by the edmund pettis bridge and almost to a person, folks say this has to be more than just a commemoration and more than a celebration. there needs to be some action taken afterward. especially when you look at the state of voting rights. they keep saying a renewed fight as legislatures across the country pass stricter voter identification laws and making it harder for people to vote. when you talk to folks on the ground who have family members here. i spoke to a man named billy engram who said his family grew up in nearby marrium where the shooting death of jimmy ray jackson protecting his family by a police officer really sparked the motivation to march from selma to montgomery. at the time folks said why don't we carry his body to the steps of the capital and let it be known what we are fighting for. instead they buried him peacefully and we know that the march continued on. so, even mr. engram said that

today our children are attending ingrative schools and those fights to the path have not been forgotten. kept saying over and over again. president obama is coming to selma. president obama is coming to selma. folks here on the ground are excited and more than anything, we know that edmund pettis bridge is a symbol to the fight for voting rights and also here a bridge towards the future and with president obama standing at the foot of it, folks are exciting to see where that bridge will lead them because so far it led to the first black president and that means something to a lot of folks here. >> absolutely. you can see the excitement by the sheer crowd looking at this picture on this screen. joining us live from selma by phone. thank you so much. once again, we want to remind you that president obama will be arriving in selma to deliver a speech at the edmund pettis bridge there and we'll bring you those remarks live when they happen. we now want to turn to iraq where isis militants are on a rampage to destroy cultural

artifacts. before pictures of 2,000-year-old city. isis destroyed remains there today. iraqi government officials say they don't know the extent of the damage since they have not received pictures just yet. all this comes two days after isis militant delivered bulldozers. both cities lie south of mosul. a week ago isis militants showed them smashing statues in the city's museum. i want to bring in retired journal jack jacobs. colonel, thanks for being with us today. >> you bet. >> why do you think they're attacking these particular sites, especially considering some of them don't hold religious artifacts. >> symbolism is very, very important to isis. they want to destroy everything that predates. everything that followed the advent of islam that is not conservati conservative. they are trying to establish themselves, demonstrate dominance. they're basically marking

territory showing who's boss. >> it seems like such a shame. this is history that is just being absolutely destroyed. this week we saw a lot of focus on iran's major role in iraq. you had iranian troops in the battle to retake tikrit and then the shadow leader of the force make a public appearance in samara. how significant is their role? >> it's very, very significant. they are rapidly becoming the dominant force in the region. even saudi arabia has said publicly the very concern about iran taking over. i think most observers expect that iran will continue to press forward and except for the areas dominated by the kurds, i think you're going to see iran in firm control of every shiite area in iraq and that's very, very concerning to everybody in the region. >> you know, the u.s. says it has no correlation, zero with the iranians. is that realistic, though? >> they seem to be our tactical allies. they're against isis and we're

against isis. so, there is a lot of toing and froing through intermediaries to be sure. not doing any direct coronation but while we want to see isis destroyed the way to get that done is for domination by iran. that's very concerning to us and to our allies. but we don't yet have a strategy to combat that. >> you know, there's been talks for months about the arab states fighting that war on the ground. that hasn't materialized. should the u.s. allow iran to fill that role, if you will? >> we don't get to vote. we decided not to get actively involved on the ground or in any way in the region except indirectly. iran has filled the void. there is a big void that is to be filled and i think they're going to continue to carry on for regional domination to the extent that they can have it. we are not, we're not going to do anything directly. weaveraph've tried to get the a countries in the region to coalesce into some ability to

counter iran. but i don't think you're going to see that happening. too many troubles among those countries. nobody want to commit and nobody wants to fight iran. it's a big problem. >> all right. colonel jack jacobs, thanks so much for your time and insight today. in a moment, the scathing civil rights report on a police report in ferguson. what are the department's most egregious of violations and what are the chances the justice department will eliminate the force altogether? next. ♪ expected wait time: 55 minutes. your call is important to us. thank you for your patience. waiter! vo: in the nation, we know how it feels when you aren't treated like a priority. we do things differently. we'll take care of it. vo: we put members first... join the nation. thank you. ♪ nationwide is on your side

all right. live pictures right now in selma, alabama. marking the 50th anniversary of what is now known as bloody sunday. you're seeing all those vehicles there. well, that is the president arriving. this is his motorcade. he has just arrived there at the foot of the edmund pettus

bridge. we showed you earlier, former president george w. bush is on hand, as well, as attorney general eric holder. but speaking before the president will be representative john lewis, as many of you know, he was a participant in the original march from selma to montgomery, alabama. he was injured in that march on bloody sunday. we're very interested in seeing what he has to say some 50 years since that day. and then after that, the president will be speaking. of course, we'll bring those speeches to you live right here on msnbc. in the meantime, though, the focus is on alabama, as we had mentioned. and the president will be speaking. but the selma march is also being remembered across the nation. in new york city, hundreds of people went across the brooklyn bridge beginning on the manhattan side and they will, of course, be very interested in what the president has to say today, as well. and the president, as we mentioned, here is a little bit of that video of people there

marching. the president is speaking a little bit later. he has arrived there in selma and, of course, we will bring that to you. and the president there with his family. and after that speech for the 50th anniversary of the 1965 civil rights march from selma to montgomery, we understand the president and the first family will be go across that edmund pettus bridge. yesterday the president emphasized the importance at benedict college in columbia, south carolina. >> selma's not just about commemorating the past. it's about honoring the legend who helped change this country through your actions today in the here and now. selma is now. selma is about the courage of ordinary people doing extraordinary things because they believe they can change the country. >> want to bring in harvard law professor charles ogletree.

among his former students were, of course, barack obama, and michelle obama. professor, you heard what the president said yesterday. how difficult is it to keep a 50-year-old event relevant for future generations? >> it's very hard. but i'm convinced that he can do it. i want to thank the president for coming to selma giving the speech and making people understand that he, of the joshua generation, as you talked about before, really has been able to move things in the right direction. and i think that america, i think all americans for the fact that president obama is the first african-american president-elected to the united states and i suspect in 2016, i have to wait and see, i think hillary clinton will be the first woman ever elected to the united states. >> you're already making that claim and she hasn't announced. >> she hasn't announced, but she's cashed my checks. i'm certain she's running and she will be the type of person this country needs. >> what do you expect to hear from president obama today on

this historic and hallowed ground? >> at least three things. first, i think there's a little reflection on how much the john lewis and dr. king and other people sacrifice for him to be where he is today. the people of selma made a big difference in what he was able to do, as well. the second thing is the fact that what he's done as president being elected as the first african-american president, the issue of civil rights and the third thing is the fact that he expects the next generation, not just him and not just his wife and not just his children, but the next generation of people to have that same commitment to make sure that they are learning from, watching and in a sense responding to what people have done before in the 21st century, i hope, would be something for all of us to celebrate that it's a multi-racial event. multi-gender event. multi-political event and i'm glad the republicans, women, people from every side of the

calendar are there and making a big difference in selma today. >> help us put all of this in perspective as we look back to what happened there some 50 years ago and all that occurred since then. when we look at the world today and what is going on, how much of what was gained during the civil rights movement has actually been possibly lost today? >> that's a good question. i think that part of it has been gained. we don't have today the sort of beatings marching across the selma bridge, the edmund pettus bridge in selma like john lewis experienced as a young man. we don't have the death of dr. king 1968 because of somebody assassinating him. look what we've done. we made a lot of progress and we'll continue to make that progress. i think that education, housing, jobs, mental health, all these things have to be criteria and all of us, whether we're at harvard or howard. whether we are at the high school. whether we are not educated, but

still gifted. we're going to make sure that we're still going to be just as important to help lift that generation up to do the same things that were done for us to make us able to go to schools and able to get an education and able to get a job and be successful in what we're doing this day. >> talk about future generations. let's look at selma, in particular. selma the city. how much has that city benefitted from this and how much more does it have to go? because there are still many issues within the city. >> here's my sense that selma has benefitted from the fact that the president of the united states of america, the first african-american president is in selma today and going to give a speech this afternoon. that is great. on the other hand, selma reminds me of ferguson, missouri. it's almost two-thirds of african-americans are in a sense in control of the city, yet they have very little to brag about. we still have to make sure that selma becomes a 21st century city. and i think that that's what

president obama will talk about a little bit today but i think that in selma, people who were there back in the 1960s who are celebrating this 50th anniversary. they, too, have a lot to say about what we need to do today in order for selma to be the classy city that we expect it to be in the 21st century. >> you say it remind you of ferguson. how strong are the parallels here? >> they're very parallel and very strong in some sense that when you think about it, ferguson is a 67% african-american community. but one member of the city council of six is black. four members of the police force, 54 are black. people being arrested for all sorts of civil matters and being paid fines that are making the police happy. the good news is that attorney general eric holder, the greatest attorney general i've ever even and i've ever known, he's done a great job in trying to make things go in the right direction. and his recent report that we all have seen, i think, will

make that happen. so, i think this generation has to do something to make the next generation feel welcomed and feel able and capable taking us four ward in the 21st century. >> the attorney general is on hand for the speeches and the commemoration today. and as you look on these crowds, it's really quite remarkable to see some 50 years since all of this happened on bloody sunday. so many people have come out today and they've been there for hours and hours on end. i'm really interested and i don't know about you, about hearing representative john lewis speak. this is a man who was there on that very day injured on that day and yet went on to have such an alustrious career. >> he is one of the survivors, not the only one. but he is an example of getting up, standing up and standing big even though he was beaten and he was bloodied and he was arrested. all the things that he did made a big difference. he is in congress now. he gave a terrific speech in

congress a little time ago. and i have to say that i salute him for all the work that he's done to make it possible for us to be where we are today. we could not be able to do what we're doing today. we could not carry on the message if people like john lewis didn't put their lives on the line to make sure the next generation could move forward. >> absolutely. even president obama said that himself. professor ogletree, we thank you so much for your insight. in fact, we invite you to stick around because we do want to talk to you a little bit later and as we wait for the president to give his speech there in selma and that is expected to happen at any time now. thank you so much. we will return to selma for events commemorating the 50th anniversary of bloody sunday, including remarks from president obama. you laugh. you worry. you do whatever it takes to take care of your family. and when it's time to plan for your family's future, we're here for you.

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rights occurred right there in that city. president obama is expected to speak any time now. and then walk the span of the bridge. so, we will bring that to you. in the meantime, tremaine lee is in selma for us. i want to get a gauge from you of what people there are hoping to hear from the president. >> time and again people have said it's more than a commemoration. this needs to take action moving forward. i'm sure they hope the president reinforces that. i have a gentleman here right now, where are you from? >> birmingham, alabama. >> what are you hoping the president will say? >> my wife and have a family and what happened in the 1960s to what we enjoy today. our family has the freedom to attend any college in the united states. our children can attend basically any school, our quality of life is good and somebody paid a price for that. so, to the extent that that message resonates today, i have to be a part and show my support by being here and hopefully it

will be a memorable occasion for my child as she looks back at the pictures from being here for the 50th anniversary. >> thank you very much. >> all right. >> ma'am, i want to ask you 50 years ago not far from where we stand state troopers brutalized folks. 50 years later we have come a long way, but are you satisfy would the progress and what do you hope the president says today? >> we have a long way to go. i'm just hoping he is here, not just for what happened 50 years ago, but anything to help us move forward. to give us information. to help us move forward. >> excellent, thank you. >> pardon me, sir, can i ask you. what brought you here today? a momentous occasion that you're here among thousands of people. but why are you among this number? >> well, about this time during that era, my uncle who was m assassinated in mississippi and i'm here really to commemorate his struggle.

>> wow. sir, as he mentioned his relative was evers. and folks out here are commemorating that and marching along those same footsteps. thank you very much. i appreciate it. >> and as you talk to the crowd there, it seems like a lot of them are not only accepting what the president will be saying today, but a lot have come a long ways and they've been out there since early this morning just to make sure that they are there to mark this occasion. >> oh, that's right. folks are coming from all around the country. not just folks in home grown, home-grown folks. but it's people from all across the country who started lining up early this morning. starting at brown chapel and moving down towards the bridge. the excitement is growing. again, folks have said time and again that it's not about jubilation. it's not only about the commemoration and taking this and moving forward.

so many fights that are left to be fought. >> even though you hear the music and there is talk of a bit of a celebration. for the most part, many people are marking this as a somber occasion and really a serious one, especially when you look at the landscape of this country today. >> well, it's both. on one hand you're mourning the blood that was lost. folks gave the ultimate price, but at the end of the day, there was a victory here. the passage of the 1965 voting rights act. so while it was a hard-fought struggle, there were, indeed, victories. as you mention, it's a balance between mourning all the folks that have lost, but celebrating and hoisting up the many victories. >> are you seeing a lot of families there with their kids. making sure their children, the next generation, if you will, understands the importance of what happened there 50 years ago? >> oh, certainly. you're seeing a mix of people. black and white, young and old. you see families and fathers

with children hoisted on their shoulders. but as you said, the crowd has gotten so thick, a few stretchers pulling people out. unfortunately, the crowd has been, the crowd is so thick and people are starting to get a little frustrated. it's hot. people are waiting. the crowd, again, is numbering in the thousands. >> well, hopefully the president will be speaking very shortly. we understand that he is there in selma and, of course, we will bring that to you live here on msnbc. thank you, trymaine. as we mention, here is another live picture at the podium there where the president will take to the microphone any minute now and, of course, when he does do that, we will bring it to you. keep it here on msnbc. you got that right! bam! just gotta check your bag. huh, charmin ultra strong. you're cleaner than i thought. charmin ultra strong cleans so much better it meets even his highest standards of clean. with a soft duraclean texture,

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very spot the civil rights movement saw one of its darkest hours and now a symbol of both triumph and the long road ahead. joining me now from selma, msnbc melissa harris-perry and joy reid and charles ogle tree, a friend and adviser to the president and the first lady. thank you all for joining us today. >> pleasure. >> thank you. >> melissa, what are you expecting to hear from the president? >> again, you know, we don't know precisely what the president will have to say today. i think, joy and i have been talking about what we hope we hear from the president today. we hope we hear a connection back to history. an idea on which the ways his own presidency is a bridge between the moment that selma. when the president was here just after announcing he was going to run for president. when he was still a young senator and presidential hopeful in 2007, he laid out this notion of the joshua generation in

which he talked about standing on the shoulders of the moses. congressman john lewis who led the way initially and then suggesting as is the biblical reference that the joshua generation is actually going to move us into that promise land. move us into that next space. of course, we're now six years into an obama administration and i think part of what he'll need to do is reach back, but also to speak forward and to say what his inheritance, what the inheritance of his administration and this entire generation has met for issues like voting rights, police brutality and economic development going forward. >> joy, let me bring you in right now. a lot of people, as well as wanting to hear what the president had to say are very interested in what representative john lewis has to say because this is a man who is looking back 50 years to what he, in fact, experienced personally on this day. >> yeah, no, absolutely. i spoke briefly with congressman lewis when he was here with the congressional delegation and what he said is that it's a

personal moment of reflection for him. this is not something out of a history book. this is john lewis' life. this is his body that was on the line and this was him defying martin luther king jr. in a lot of ways. this was him asserting himself in his own terms as a civil rights leader. as a very, very young man and being incredibly brave. i think people forget the risk, the incredible physical risk that he was taking to come into the heart of the south and not just the police officers, but volunteers who were volunteering to brutalize people. this for john lewis is not just a moment to sort of look back at history. this is his own personal story. i think that every time he talks about it you hear that little choke in his voice. melissa, you can agree, this is personal to him. i think when you talk to him, too, you get the sense that it's not history. he sees us as a continuum and that the movement really continues for him. >> i think it's part of what is helpful to remember because we see these old black and white images. that was back then. but when you're standing there

talking to congressman lewis, that is not back then. this is right now. this is our american story. >> and the thing about it, melissa and i were having this conversation, betty, before. you have congressman john lewis down here to commemorate the jubilee year of the march over the edmund pettus bridge that he might be the only hope we have right now in the congress to renew and restore the very voting rights act that he bled for. that he was beaten in the head for. that he went to the hospital for right after leaving the church behind us. you think about the fact that just 50 years later this man now in congress who is a very young guy is fighting for the same law, again. >> the same law. >> it's amazing. >> absolutely. do you think, i would imagine that he would touch on that today, especially on the 50th anniversary and what we face now as a nation. joy? >> indeed. no, absolutely. every time john lewis speaks of the civil rights and congressman john lewis speaks about the

movement, he speaks in evocative terms. he's a very emotional guy. get that gut level emotion from him and i think it contrasts with barack obama, who is very cerebral and speaks about things that i have a professor here, even though you're the mix between the two. melissa gives you the emotion and barack obama is a professor. you have that contrast between the two men even though they were on opposite sides of the primary initially. i would like to hear president obama come a little towards john lewis and give us some emotion. >> we have to, you keep repeating and i think it's so important, joy, the idea of the bodily sacrifice. the actual corporal sacrifice. i think, again, when we see it in the history, we forget. what does it feel like to be struck? to be hit? to bleed. and to not only just for that to happen, but that to happen at the hands of police officers who, by the way, the communities

actually pay the salaries of the police officers who were then, i mean, it is, i don't want us to forget the embodied nature of what those sacrifices were. we can start thinking of it as, oh, they all knew it was going to turn out well, that there would be 565 voting rights act and there would be a president obama some day. but people were walking out there on faith believing some of them that they might not ever live to see the other side of that bridge. >> very good points. i want to bring you and charles. you know the president very well. what role has the civil rights era played in molding his world view and the type of leader that he is? >> well, let me just say a couple things. i'm so glad that melissa harris perry and joy reid are on the show. they are the example of exactly what we're doing. and you're the example, as well, that we are diversifying the opportunity for people to be journalists. i'm thinking the importance of oprah winfrey. what will obama say? i think he'll talk about hope. he'll talk about the whole idea of change. and he's going to talk about opportunity for people who have

not had the opportunity to live the way that they should live. i'm looking forward to his speech. and i would look to it, in a sense, envelopment of what we have been trying to do in the 21st century. more importantly, let me say this finally, i think his speech has to be one. he is a cerebral person. he's not reverend jesse jackson and he's not malcolm x or dr. king. it is hard for him to be expressive and people saying, wow, he doesn't seem to have that mojo to really put it together. but he has this feeling inside that he's deeply personal about what's happening and he wants people to know that i am of the josha generation and moses who made it possible for me to climb where i am. not to criticize it, but accept it as somebody who is really saying the words that need to be said but not say them in a way where you expect a great leader,

reverend to say those words. >> he touched on that a bit in 2007 saying because they marched, i am here today. that's what president obama said. and, clinton, let me bring you in. do other key moments resonate with today's youth generation? >> quite frapgly, i would say no. but that doesn't mean that they're not important. the reason why people think selma is important because, quite frankly, you've got hollywood, you've got the movies. but when people see black and white footage. it looks like it's ancient and that's one of the important things about this day. recognizing and understanding that this was not that long ago. people alive then are still very much alive now as joy and melissa referred to. beyond that, the issues that survived then are very much so still very problematic. does the average kid walking around on the street know or care about selma. absolutely not. >> melissa, you've bipartisan speaking with civil rights activists across the nation and what are they telling you? >> i was going to say, i'm not

sure if every child walking the streets knows about selma. that said, joy and i have talked to a lot of kids who have bipartisan here todbeen here to. many young people, many older people weren't aware of what the struggle was. the big question is whether or not people who are in that continuing struggle now. whether or not people who are currently activists understand the connection. and there is no doubt. i asked diane nash that earlier on my show and she is the key strategist who organized the strategy that became selma. diane nash says to me, i love what black lives matter is doing. they are where we were at one point. they will have their successes and they absolutely understand themselves as connected to the movement that occurred here. >> i wouldn't discount the power of sort of the pop culture. listen, we are not a culture, we are a country that knocks down our historic buildings. we don't preserve our past the way a lot of other countries do.

we talk to very young kids. melissa and i both met kids that were 8 years old and they've seen that movie. when i pointed to diane nash and i said that woman was in the movie. when you go back, they were fascinated by it. people are hungry for it. >> when congressman lewis walked out, we didn't have to introduce him. >> well, you bring up a good point, joy, about the movie and i want to bring you back in and clint because how pivotal is that movie going to be especially for the younger generation that is just now learning about it. >> you saw what happened at the academy awards. what i want to say, though, beyond that the point that melissa is making what you're going to see from the president today the connectivity about selma that is beyond just the black experience. that's very difficult for a lot of people to put their finger on in this nation. what happened in selma is very correlated very directly to what african-americans in this country have had to deal with.

i think it if the president, in my opinion, we are in a day in age where people experience large levels of discrimination and don't have the same opportunities that everybody else has and that's where the new generation comes. not just about talking about certain people that have been discriminated against. if he can connect this to what everybody is dealing with who are disenfranchised people, i think it will be a good speech. >> we'll leave it there. melissa, joy, professor, thank you so much. of course, we'll be talking with you a little bit later, as well, as we wait for the president to speak. but thank you so much. and we do invite you to stay with us as we watch the events unfold there in selma, alabama. president obama is expected to speak in just a bit and to remember the day that actually changed the course of civil rights in this country. don't go away. growing up culturally, it was quite unacceptable and she really dared to let me be different.

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speak any moment now. of course, when that happens, we will bring that to you live. but in the meantime, though, we want to take you there on the ground with trymaine lee. he is among the crowd. i imagine anticipation is building. >> oh, that's right. inch by inch, moment by moment. they're waiting for the president to arrive. the crowd has thickened up and now everyone is waiting. i want to talk to a few folks over here. excuse me. pardon me, i wanted to ask you all real quick. 50th year anniversary of bloody sunday and civil rights wins and victories. what brought you all here today. i'll start with you. wh . >> i live here. >> how about yourself? >> i live here in selma, plus, my family were foot soldiers and just exciting to just experience this. >> i just want to ask, so many people 50 years ago came from out of town and so many unsung foot soldiers. how do you feel to be among this crowd and also among those who fought and marched 50 years ago?

>> it actually feels wupderful. a lot of people. so calm. >> it looks like the president has arrived. i see the president, the first daughters, malia and sasha. the sense of exuberation and everyone is excited for the president and also about the first family. for so many a point of pride, not only the first black president but the first black family in the white house. >> that's a really good point, trymaine. as we look at sasha and malia make their way to the podium, it speaks to the next generation. this is about moving this forward and kind of gives people chills when they think about at one point today we'll see the first family walk across that bridge. >> that's right and selma a small city that was the theater for so much change. now, again, folks are quieting down a little bit. again, the anticipation is still building. i want to ask you. everyone is so excited to be here.

>> we are. >> you are. what are you excited about? >> i'm excited to have the opportunity to be here because i was not even born 50 years ago and i totally honor and respect the sacrifice that was made for all americans and i am a beneficiary of the sacrifices that were made. by the people who marched that particular day. >> yeah. 50 years of sacrifices. sir, i want to ask you. what brought you here today? what makes this moment, i don't want to put words in your mouth, but a special moment in history. why are you here? >> we actually were here 50 years ago. this is actually a picture. >> oh, wow. >> believe it or not. >> and here. that's me. >> wow. >> this is amazing. for you to have been here 50 years ago and the climate in the environment was so different

then. 50 years a long time. some have said we have crossed so many bridges, but we still have so far to go. how do you feel about the progress we made in the 50 years? >> i think we made it unbelievable progress. i mean, i remember coming down here to birmingham and then to selma and being scared out of my wits. that was like a street fair. >> wow. >> but there's still, you know, a long way to go. they are trying to cut the voting rights legislation and there's still more work to be done. >> did you meet here? >> no, we have a -- when we came down here the first time and through facebook and connecting, reconnecting with some of the other people who were involved. i learned that the sister of one of the guys who came with us who lives in birmingham was going to come and i told her i was thinking of coming and she invited me to come with her and stay and then we started contacting others and her whole family is here, even her brother

that was with bob and me and i called bob and invited him and so we're all here. oops. >> i do have one last question for you. so many folks are trying to balance the commemoration and also a lot of mourning. a number of people beyond bleeding. a lot of people gave their lives for this right. reverend, how do you balance the mourning with the commemoration? >> i think the way you balance the mourning is to make right, the voting rights act and to keep pushing to make sure that the vision that people had 50 years ago is actually realized. >> wow. thank you so much. that's time and again people keep talking about how it is great to come here and great to celebrate the many victories and mourn the many losses. but it's about taking action, moving forward as a number of folks have mentioned. voting rights some say are under attack across the country. legislatures across the country are passing legislation that make it harder to vote and not easier to vote. again, that was the struggle 50

years ago and this is for many people a struggle today. >> all right trymaine. thank you so much for that. very interesting hearing from the people on the ground as they wait for the people to speak. joining me is charles oglefree, a friend and adviser to the president and first lady and clinton yates. let me start with you. as we look at these leaders from the past. leaders like representative john lewis and martin luther king jr. and so many of those who took part in that, this day, 50 years ago. why don't we see cingsingular leaders like that today? >> i don't know. i think it's a different time and age. i just think that the way people made names for themselves is different. but i would caution you to look at the people who are not there today. i must say, for as much as the gop leadership does in this country and doesn't do, i am flatly stunned that not more of them have made an appearance at selma. it just seems so easy on so many levels from a political win standpoint to an actual human

standpoint that this is the place to be at and their absence is very, very obvious and, quite frankly, very weird to me. >> professor, i want to bring you in on that. do you agree? a lot of people missing an opportunity here, not only to commemorate history, but also to make a difference and make sure that the future learns from the past? >> clinton is exactly right. i think that everybody should celebrate this as an american experience and everybody will understand how big it is. i'm thinking about the people that were there. the women to aunts and uncles and grandparents who have their children and grandchildren there on their shoulders and the same way dr. king did it in the 1950s to make the next generation understand. people think that a 5-year-old, 6-year-old, 3-year-old, 7-year-old can't understand. they get it. they understand it. and i think that that is a very important thing and i think that clinton and i are in the same view that the young people at this march is an example of what's going to happen in the

21st century. >> we want to invite you both to stand by for us because we want to talk to you at the top of the hour as we wait for president obama to speak. the first family is there on the ground. the president will be speaking any moment now and when that happens, of course, we will bring it to you right here live on msnbc. hey pal? you ready? can you pick me up at 6:30? ah... (boy) i'm here! i'm here! (cop) too late. i was gone for five minutes! ugh! move it. you're killing me. you know what, dad? i'm good. (dad) it may be quite a while before he's ready, but our subaru legacy will be waiting for him. (vo) the longest-lasting midsize sedan in its class. the twenty-fifteen subaru legacy. it's not just a sedan. it's a subaru. i love my meta health bars. because when nutritious tastes this delicious, i don't miss the other stuff. meta health bars help promote heart health. experience the meta effect with our multi-health wellness line. ♪

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or are prone to infections. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take. one pill, twice daily, xeljanz can reduce ra pain and help stop further joint damage, even without methotrexate. ask about xeljanz. welcome back, everybody. now live pictures from selma, alabama, as they commemorate the 50th anniversary of what is gone as bloody sunday. you're seeing on the stage there a lot of dignitaries. president obama and first lady michelle obama there as well as george w. bush. you also have representative john lewis and we will be hearing from both representative lewis right there speak momentarily and then following that will be president obama. i want to take you now to msnbc's trymaine lee on the ground. i want to get your reaction from the reception of all these

officials there and, also, the president. the first black president speaking on such a historic day. >> i think what's amazing is how deeply it actually touches people. again, being the first black president and the first black family. people are already excited and then had such a resonance. standing on the foot of the edmund pettus bridge. fighting for american rights and being in a community where people lost their lives. but it also touches home. people have lived here and have family members who suffered greatly, again, for our rights to vote. and, so, as the president and the first family took to the stage, you kind of felt that swell of excitement and every one applauded. now, i'm sure once he's finished talking, people are going to be, you know, dealing with a mix of emotions because this is the anniversary weekend of such a tough weekend. i actually want to bring someone in. sir, i wonder, what brought you here today. we're moments away from hearing the president speak. >>