How Does The Movie Selma Relate To The Civil Rights Movement

Segregation is a strong word to say; it means the action or state of setting someone or something apart from other people or things or being set apart. When one thinks of the word segregation in America, one thinks of slavery and the hatred of the blacks from the whites. The movie Selma indicates this segregation, but also gives an uplifting and electrifying attitude to the bravery of the African Americans in which who never gave up hope and who had a dream that one day everyone will be equal. This time was when African Americans could vote, but could not register to vote because of the racism. The city named Selma, Alabama became the focal point for the fight to vote in 1965. By overcoming the violence and racism in this state, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led his friends and followers on a march from Selma to Montgomery. This march created a huge impact on the rest of the country and President Lyndon B. Johnson which who ended up signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Since the movie Selma precisely portrays the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, it demonstrates an inspiring tone toward the

efforts for blacks to be equal to whites.
The civil rights movement all started when the Brown v Board of Education took place in May of 1954. According to Borgna and Haney, the supreme court ruled that segregation in educational institutions were unconstitutional which eventually made the way for a lot of desegregation. Then came the court case of Plessy v Ferguson decision of “Separate but Equal,” which segregated all public facilities, but all the facilities had to be the same. Eventually, this case led up to the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955.
Brunner and Haney also argues, NAACP affiliate Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white rider in the “colored section” of the bus. Back then, it was illegal for African Americans to decline to giving up their seat on the bus. Parks was then arrested and in retaliation, the bus boycott spread. This event was considered the first broad-scale opposition on segregation in the U.S. In time the buses were declared desegregated the next year on December 21. In between this event and the Selma March, the civil rights movement had a huge impact on America.
In Little Rock, Arkansas was the “Little Rock Nine” in the year of 1957. Three years later, in Greensboro, North Carolina, four African American college students began a sit in at the local Woolworth’s lunch center. These moments set off many non violent riots in the southern part of the U.S. Later in August of 1963, about 200,000 persons gathered for the March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave the well known “I Have A Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. This speech impacted the entire world. Then later on in the year, four young girls were killed at sunday school in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Alabama. Thus creating a lot of protests and riots in Alabama. The next year, President Johnson validates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law gives the federal government the power to desegregate and forbids racism of any type. It did not prevent the discrimination that African Americans were still getting when they were going to register to vote. The whites gave out literacy tests and taxes to the people which only allowed a few blacks to vote.
On March 7, 1965, Dr. King and his followers led a march from Selma to Montgomery, but when the marchers tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge, there was a police barricade who stopped them from going to Montgomery. Berman adds, “Racism, segregation and inequality persist in this civil-rights battleground.” Also Berman writes, “ “Bloody Sunday,” when 600 marchers, including John Lewis, now a Congressman, were brutally beaten by Alabama state troopers.” There were many people injured and hospitalized in this incident. This horrendous event is now called “Bloody Sunday.” Earl G. Graves Sr. reasons, “That the historic 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by King, James Bevel, Hosea Williams, and John Lewis could inspire such an impactful and critically acclaimed film nearly 50 years later is testament to just how important a turning point this was in American history, and African American history in particular.” It is viewed as the spark of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, in which is signed by President Johnson and passed by Congress to help blacks register to vote without any restrictions. Gale declares, “The Selma march has a significant place in civil rights history. It helped to convince Congress that a voting rights act was necessary.” The movie Selma, shows this significant event in great detail.
The movie, Selma, accurately portrays the actual event that happened in real life.

Jerome Christensen says in Reed’s article, “Selma is not education, it’s mobilization—it’s a movie that wants to move you. Its aim is not accuracy, but to be tragically and poignantly clever.” Ava DuVernay does not really focus on the portrayal of accuracy, but focuses on trying to inspire and move people which is the tone of the movie. The only part that does not accurately portray real life is the Lyndon B. Johnson role. Reed tells, “DuVernay and others have responded to complaints about the film’s historical accuracy, particularly in its portrayal of Lyndon Johnson, with invocations of artistic license and assertions that the film is not intended as historical scholarship.” The Lyndon Johnson role was the only role that had complaints, other than that the movie was historically

accurate.
One of the reasons Selma has an inspiring tone is because of the magnificent imagery. The way Ava DuVernay, the director of this film, put together all of the different moments of the Selma march and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into two hours of scenery is tremendous. While watching the movie, the images and scenes reflect this inspirational attitude and gives the viewer “the chills” when he/she is watching it. The film makes one feel like one is actually there at the scene of “Bloody Sunday” with tear gases flying everywhere and the police beating up the marchers. DuVernay puts this specific scene in slow motion so that the viewer can use all of their senses to encounter and feel the intensity of “Bloody Sunday.”
Another kind of imagery that Selma contributes to the inspiring attitude is the auditory imagery. An example of the auditory imagery is the soundtrack. In the song Glory, “One day when the glory comes it will be ours, it will be ours. One day when the war is won we will be sure, we will be sure. Oh glory.” This line is a perfect example because the lyrics of the artist and the tone in his voice makes one feel electrified. This song also summarizes the movie in total and explains why Selma was created. Also the song Glory states, “Welcome to the story we call victory comin' of the Lord, my eyes have seen the glory. When the war is won, when it's all said and done we'll cry glory, oh glory.” This line is a great example because that last part where the artist says, “we’ll cry glory, oh glory” gives one an exciting adrenaline feeling inside of one; making one want to make a change in their life.
Not only does imagery help to convey the tone, but also the diction helps to convey the inspiring attitude. For example, in the movie Selma, “Our lives are not fully lived unless we are willing to die for what we believe in.” This statement is a good example because it shows how the characters in Selma and the director speaks words of inspiration into the viewer’s heart and mind. This quote from Martin Luther King Jr inspires one because it motivates one to go out and do what one believes is right, and to die for what is right. Additionally in Selma, Dr. King declares, “I’m no different than anybody else. I want to live long and be happy…but I’m not focused on what I want today. I’m focused on what God wants. [I may die, but] as long as there’s light ahead for them, it’s worth it for me.” This statement is a great example because not only was Dr. King trying to speak words of wisdom into the people at Selma, but also speaking for the people to come and trying to make for a better future. This quote is influential because the audience hears these words and takes and applies them to their daily life.
The diction in Selma also helps to convey the director’s purpose in filming this movie. According to a DuVernay quote in Reed’s article, “I wasn’t interested in making a white-savior movie; I was interested in making a movie centered on the people of Selma.” This quote is a good example because it shows what DuVernay is trying to get the audience to watch in her film. Also, she is not being racist, but her purpose is to let the viewers see what and how the people of Selma went through as best she can.
Like one said before, segregation is a strong word to say. Segregation was huge in America during the 1900s and was one of the reasons behind the civil war. Overall, one rates the movie Selma a nine out of ten because it is a great movie for a family to watch and learn about the Voting Rights Act and the march from Selma to Montgomery. The movie Selma demonstrates an inspiring attitude toward the efforts for blacks to be equal to whites because it accurately describes the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s.