Selma

                   When I started this film, the first thing that came to mind was, “We’re very quickly going back to these times.”  I don’t feel I’m exaggerating either.  In recent years there has been a lot of talk about lifting voting protections and creating rules that make it more difficult for people to show up at the polls and vote.  It’s as though we’re sending ourselves backwards to a time where people had to fight in order to exercise their voting rights.  We’re sending ourselves back to Selma.               

                In the 1960s African Americans had the right to vote, but a great many were not able to do so.  Many counties and states refused to acknowledge African Americans their voting rights and did whatever they could to prevent these citizens from registering.  During one of the first scenes of the film Selma, a woman by the name of Annie Lee Cooper (Oprah Winfrey) is trying to register to vote.  She has filled out all the paperwork required but the clerk refuses to let her register.  Instead he bombards her with question after question about detailed government facts that few of us at any time would ever know.  He is simply waiting for Ms. Cooper to get one of his questions wrong so he can reject her application on those grounds.  It is a truly disgusting display.

                Unfortunately these acts were not uncommon, and in another scene the viewer sees Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (David Oyelowo) doing whatever he can to convince president Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) that laws need to be put into place to prevent what happened to Ms. Cooper from happening to anyone else.  He believes the right to vote is the most important concern for African Americans and the government needs to act to make sure everyone is allowed their rights.

                While President Johnson agrees the voting situation is an issue, he does not believe it is the most important one.  He thinks everyone’s concern should be on getting African Americans out of poverty.  Once that’s done, then maybe the government will take a look at voting.  Until then, President Johnson expects Dr. King to be patient and let things happen as they happen.

                This does not sit well with Dr. King.  He believes the only way for anything to even start to change for African Americans is for them to be able to vote.  Without that, they will never be able to have a voice in who represents them and their concerns will always be silenced.

                In order to push President Johnson and other government officials into acting, Dr. King and his fellow leaders organize a peaceful protest in Selma, Alabama.  The protest quickly turns violent at no fault to the protestors themselves.  It is the sheriff and his men who start the violence, falsely using it as justification for placing people under arrest.

                Determined to continue taking a stand, the protestors stage another protest, but this one becomes even more violent than the first.  Instead of keeping the violence at the scene, the police hunt down those who have fled in all corners of the town.  They enter a restaurant, and unprovoked, shoot a young protestor without a second thought.  This murder makes it clear to Dr. King and his leaders that these small protests are not enough.  President Johnson is still not listening.  They will have to come up with something that will make him.  

                The protestors decide their next course of action will be to stage a peaceful march to Montgomery, Alabama, starting with a bridge in Selma.  They set out on their march, but immediately the protestors are met with violence.  The sheriff and his men once again attack the protestors, but this time reporters from around the country are there to record and write about the events.  Now, finally, the citizens from the rest of the country are able to learn what is going on in Selma, and they are outraged.  Impelled to join the cause, people from all over come down to Selma and join the march.  This unnerves the politicians to the point that they insist the sheriff and his men stand down.  Dr. King and his protestors are told to do so as well.  While reluctant at first, Dr. King in the end acquiesces, causing a rift amongst those who have come to support him.

                After Dr. King ends their march, the protestors are split in two.  Some are angry and believe Dr. King has backed down from their cause.  Others believe Dr. King must have had his reasons for doing what he did and are determined to continue following. 

The conflict comes to a head when a minister from Boston is killed by Selma residents for supporting Dr. King.  This incites everyone to action once again.  The difference this time; the protestors accomplish what they have set out to do.

                As great as this film is as a whole, what I liked most was the fact that the other Civil Rights leaders were shown doing most of the work.  These men tend to get lost in the story of Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr., but this film showed how important and influential they were.  They were usually the first ones on the ground running and organizing while Dr. King was in Washington, D.C. dealing with politicians.  These men were also the ones to break up disagreements and handle complaints that came from the protestors.  On top of that, they acted as advisors to Dr. King.  Watching this film, and seeing these men in action, it makes me wonder how much would have not happened had they not done all that they did. 

              Another thing I found interesting was that Dr. King was not always with the action. Sometimes he was up in Washington dealing with the politicians, but other times Dr. King’s advisors told him it would be safer if he was not at the scene. This sometimes led to another good reveal of the fact that Dr. King was not always certain about what he should do. He battled with determining what the right decision was for everyone and how far they should go to achieve their mission. Then there were the struggles Dr. King had with his wife. I was actually surprised the film covered this, but I’m really glad they did. It showed Dr. King as the real man he was and not just the legendary figure we have come to know him to be. I personally find this to be more inspirational.  It shows that a regular man with doubts, questions, and faults can be someone and do something great. That greatness is something we definitely need right now, today.