Thomas Jefferson once said, “All men are created equal” and placed those very words in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. But sadly, in the 238 years that has passed since then, so many have had to fight for this very justice time and time again here in the United States. Watching the movie “Selma” was a great reminder of this and how racism, bigotry, and fear still to this day continue to stand in the way of fully achieving this very principle.
“Selma” chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s (David Oyelowo) nonviolent journey to attain equal voting rights for black people, which culminated in an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. A good portion of “Selma” centers on Dr. King’s relationship with President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) and his repeated attempts to sway the President into passing legislation to achieve those rights. Unfortunately, as it always seems to be with the government, there were more pressing issues at the time to focus on instead, such as poverty, which is exactly why Dr. King led his people to take a stand in Selma.
Like the “Eyes On The Prize” series and other Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. content I’ve seen over the years, the film highlights a number of the atrocities that took place back then by so many white men, women, and children who were filled with such an incredible amount of hate. The majority of them wanted nothing to do with equality with blacks on any level, especially when it came to voting rights. Thus they resorted to brutal beatings, killing innocent people, and verbal slander to preserve their racism and bigotry. But Dr. King’s nonviolence persevered over it all, even in Selma, and the movie itself truly does do a fantastic job showing each of the painful hurdles that he and his people had to go through to get there.
As I sit back now and reflect upon this movie, I see how a lot has changed in our country since then, but I see how a lot hasn’t changed either. There are still quite a number of racist and bigoted people here who try to oppress women, non-whites, and homosexuals on a daily basis, just to name a few. And every time I take a look at the latest news headlines, there seems to be another act of racism and bigotry that’s taken place, such as the recent events of Ferguson, Missouri.
All of this really makes me wonder on most days what it’s going to take to achieve full equality for every individual in our country, and really in this world as well. What I do know is that any violence will only ever bring forth more violence, which is what Dr. King knew down to his very core.
So I have a lot of gratitude for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and movies such as “Selma” because both remind me of the work I know I must keep on doing to uphold what I believe was the true intention of Jefferson’s words long ago.
All people are created equal.
All people…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
And PS – Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! 🙂