Selma: Movie Review (Potential Spoilers)

Selma is a historical movie that captures the movement that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and his group, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), led to acquire voting rights for African Americans. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 further pushing MLK’s movement. This ended segregation in public places and was a huge stepping stone for the Civil Rights Movement. Even though this bill was passed, the people in the South had a hard time accepting its passage. In southern states such as Alabama, African Americans were denied the right to vote for no reason other than the color of their skin. Only a couple hundred African Americans had acquired the right to vote. This is when Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy stepped in and led a peaceful protest raising awareness on how slow voting registration was at the Selma Courthouse. This led to both Martin and Ralph's arrest. Despite the marches being peaceful the cops and law enforcements beat, shot and killed those who attended. Once the violence erupted, King had a meeting with President Johnson. He wanted the President to pass a voting bill that would make it illegal for states to refuse African American votes. Originally Lyndon refused, which is when King announced that he would be marching from Selma, to Montgomery, Alabama’s capital. However, Johnson didn’t want this to happen, as well as the Governor of Alabama, George Wallace, who forbade the ban. Wallace himself was against African Americans having the right to vote, which is why he never chose to come to their aide. Governor Wallace was outspoken about his support of segregation and hated the fact that it got banned. Even though the march was banned, the SCLC still went through with it. Martin Luther King Jr. tried to postpone since he was dealing with personal issues with his wife. Ultimately, they decided to lead the march without him. When the protestors got to the bridge attempting to cross the river, they were met by a huge group of law enforcement officers. They were told to back down, they proceeded and were met with tear gas, beat and whipped. After this, Martin Luther King Jr. announced a second march and called on the country to come to his aid and march for injustice. People of all races, no matter the distance, came to fight for justice. Sadly, this time Governor Wallace had a federal injunction against the march. When the protestors arrived at the bridge, the officers backed down and shortly after King walked away as did his followers. The next night, the KKK beat and killed one of the white protestors. Afterwards, President Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which made it illegal to repudiate African Americans' votes. He also sent troops to Selma, Alabama so the people could march to Montgomery peacefully. Even though it only shows one huge outcome of the movement, it was very powerful and moving, since it showed that no matter how many times they were told no. They pushed forward and went and risked their lives with hopes of a better tomorrow. I think this film is still relevant today as race wars are spiking and constantly being fought. Just last summer there were many Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests where cops struck the people with tear gas, hit and shot them. African Americans, alongside other minorities, are still fighting for their basic human rights in this country of “freedom.” Similarly to this course, Selma highlights and teaches developmental moment’s in American history. From the protest to not backing down to the Voting Bills Act getting passed, each and everyone one becoming a historical moment. The film's central argument was that no matter what race you are, you deserve to be treated with dignity and respect not backing down until you’re treated as an equal. Given the enjoyment I got from this film I would recommend it to others purely because of the information and how it’s portrayed throughout. This film convinced me through the countless lessons and constant messages which were clear from start to finish. It showed how many times they were told no, and faced consequences yet they chose to stick it out and achieve their goal. Equality for all.