Gregory1

Omarei Gregory
Mr. Peterson
Apush
3 December 2015
Selma Summary and Review
TheCivilRightsActsof1964wasapieceoflegislationthatoutlaweddiscriminationon
race,color,sex,religion,ornationalorigininpublicaccommodations.Earlyin1965
LyndonJohnsonbelievedSouthernstatesneededtimetoabsorbtheCivilRightsActof
1964,withitscomprehensivebanonsegregation,beforeanyfurtheractioncouldbe
taken.MartinLutherKingbelievedasecondbillwasnecessarytosecurevotingrights
forAfricanAmericans.ThemovieSelmaisanaccuratedescriptionofwhattheevents
thattookplacein1965werelike.ItshowedhowDr.MartinLutherKingfoughtagainst
governmentinapursuittodenyAfricanAmericansoftheirrights.Manypeopledonot
knowthestrugglefordesegregationandhowbigitwasforMartinLutherKingtostand
upforAfricanAmericans.

ThismoviedoesnotstartatthebeginningofDr.MartinLutherKingslifeorgooverhis
wholelife,butitdoesshowhowimportantwhathedidinSelmawas.Themovieopens
withthebombingofanAfricanAmericanchurch.ItthengoestothesceneofDr.Martin
LutherKingspeakingwiththePresidentabouthowAfricanAmericansshouldbegranted
therighttovoteandthatwhitepeopleshouldnotbeprotectedbywhiteofficialswhen
theycommitheinouscrimesagainstblacks.Thepresidentdoesnotreallypayattentionto
whatDr.Kinghastosay.KingthendecidesthathewillgotoSelma.

WhileinSelma,Dr.KingmeetswithyoungAfricanAmericans,thatalsowanttostand
upagainstwhites,andhegivesthemadviceonhowtodoitnonviolently.Healso
precededtomarchinSelmawithalotofAfricanAmericanstogotoacourthousein
Selmawheretheywantedtogototheregistrationoffice.Kingandhisfollowerswere
eventuallyimprisoned.WhilehewasinprisonMalcolmXmeetsWithDr.KingsWife,
Mrs.King.HeaskstohelpDr.Kingandhismovement.Mrs.KingtalkstoDr.King
aboutlettingMalcolmXhelpbuthedoesnotagreewithitbecausetheydonotseeeyeto
eye.WhenDr.Kingandalloffollowerswerereleased,theywerereleasedatnight
whichleadtotheblacksgettingbeatandthemurderofJimmyLeeJacksonbyawhite
policeofficer.AtthefuneralofJacksonDr.Kingdeclaresthattheywillmarchfrom
SelmatoWashingtonanddemandtotalktothePresident.

AstheybegintheirjourneytoD.C.theyhadtocrossabridge.Attheendofthatbridge
thereweremanytrooperstheretostopthemfromcrossingthatbridge.Behindthemwere
aboutonehundredwhitespectators.ThetroopersbegantoattacktheAfricanAmericans
andtheAfricanAmericansstartedtoretreat.Asthisattackwashappeningsevenmillion
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peoplewerewatchingallacrossthecountry.ThePresidentdemandedthatDr.Kingstop
marchingandthegovernorthatconductedtheattacktostopalso.Dr.Kingmarched
anywayjoinedbyhisfollowersandmanyothersfromacrossthenationthatwatchedon
TV,readinthenews,orheardaboutthemarchontheradio.Thistimethattheymarched
theyweresuccessfuloncrossingthebridge.Dr.Kingdecidedtoturnbackbecausehe
feltthatitwasatrapthattheycouldgetthrough.Whitepriestweremurderedfor
marchingwiththeAfricanAmericansshortlyafterthemarch.

Therewasacourtcaseforwhathappenedinthemarch.Dr.Kingwasprovednotguilty
alongwithalltheotherAfricanAmericans.ThePresidenthadaspeechsayingthat
AfricanAmericansshouldnotbedeprivedoftheirrighttovote.Followingthisspeechat
theendofthemovie,Dr.Kingmarchedtothewhitehouseandgavehisspeechabout
freedom.

Thismovieisveryhistoricallyaccurate.EverythingfromthemarchesthatDr.Kingdid
tothemurdersofpeoplelikethefourgirlsinthechurchtoJimmyLeeJackson.The
moviedepictedanimportanttimeinDr.Kingslife.Thismoviewastakendirectlyfrom
Dr.Kingslifeandwhathedidsonothingwasinaccurateaboutit.Therearemany
interpretationsaboutthismovieanditscharacters.

OneofthefirstinterpretationswereinthebeginningofthemoviewhenDr.Kingwas
puttingonhistieandhecomplainedtohiswifeaboutitnotlookingright.Thisis
interpretedashowDr.Kingwantedtobeseenasaworldfigurethatwasintimateandhe
wantedtohaveaslightlyirreverentlook.Anotherpartorpartsofthemoviethatcanbe
interpretedisthatwheneversomeonewasmurdered,hurt,orwronged,Dr.Kingwould
alwayshaveencouragingwordsforthefamilymembersandfriends.Heneverwantedto
retaliateviolently.ThisdepictshowDr.Kingwasaverypatient,lovingmanthatdidnot
believeinviolence.Evenwhenanelderlywomanwasbeingattackedbypolicehestill
kepthisheadonstraightandusehiswordsinsteadofviolence.Thelastpointthatcanbe
interpretedisDr.Kingsperseverancetogetwhathewants.Thisisshownwhenhe
constantlytalkstothepresidentaboutallowingAfricanAmericanstherighttovote.

Thismoviewouldhaveahugeimpactonsomeonewhoislearningaboutthistimeand
eraofcivilrightsandAfricanAmericans.Thismoviedidaverygoodjobofdepicting
whatitwasliketoliveduringthosetimes.Everythingfromhowthewhitestreatedthe
blacksinpublicplaces,howthepolicetreatedblacks,andthemovieevenhadparts
wheretheywouldsubstitutelivefootageofwhatreallyhappenedintothemovie.This
movieshowshowserioussegregationofwhitesandblackswereduringthistimeand
howtoughitwastobeanAfricanAmericanthen.Selmawasaninspiringmoviethat
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wouldbroadenanyonesviewaboutthiseraandtimeandeverythingthatwentonback
theninthosetimes.

Annotated Bibliography
Michael Sragow, Deep Focus: Selma, No Publisher
URL: http://www.filmcomment.com/blog/deep-focus-selma-ava-duvernay/

This website helped me understand the interpretation of the film. It also helped
me understand parts of the movie that I did not even really pay attention to.
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