AUGUSTA — Sen. Susan Collins is heading to Selma, Ala., this weekend to honor the 50th anniversary of the historic civil rights marches there.

On Saturday, Collins and other lawmakers will visit the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where white police beat demonstrators advocating for black voting rights on March 7, 1965, which was called “Bloody Sunday.” The marches in Selma helped lead to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The bipartisan group of lawmakers is being led by Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who participated in the marches toward Montgomery. President Barack Obama is also expected to attend Saturday’s event.

Collins says the 50th anniversary is a time to pay tribute to the “courage and conviction” of those who she said marched the country toward racial equality.