Saw the movie Selma on Friday. Enjoyed it. While I am not a film critic i would highly recommend the movie. The movie for me did a couple of things. First, there are 2 moments in the movie that provide an excellent definition of institutional or systemic racism that is often so hard to define. When Rev. Dr. King is making the case for the voter right act with President Johnson he states and i paraphrase that the court system calls for people to be tried by a jury of their peers but that it is impossible for the African-American (Negro at the time) in Selma to receive a jury of their peers because they can never serve on a jury because they cant register to vote. The 2nd time occurs when they are debating a strategy on how to get the right to vote in Alabama, the final argument that was made was we need to address the requirement that to register to vote you have to be sponsored by someone else. the statement was then made there are no African-Americans registered to vote in the county so how can i find someone who will sponsor me. Secondly there are those who would argue that we live in a post racial society. It was a little unnerving to know that this occurred during my lifetime when i was 2 years old. I can only imagine for those who had to actually live through it like my mom, dad and other aunts and uncles who were born in South Carolina. Furthermore the time of Selma took place 100 years after slavery but African-Americans were still very much discriminated against to the point that we were not allowed to vote why would i think that a little more than 50 years after Selma that all of the issues would have been addressed. Has progress been made certainly just like 100 years after slavery (in 1963 the time of Selma) progress had been made. But to operate from the perspective that a little less than 50 years after the Civil Rights Movement and with the gains that were made, that all of the issues have been addressed would be naive on our part. So as we celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King it is my prayer and hope that our serving others will go beyond just the one day. There is still plenty of work to be done if we are to achieve his dream. To those who have blazed a trail and worked along with Rev. Dr. King THANK YOU for blood, sweat, tears and sacrifices made. To those who are still to quote the old Negro spiritual On the battlefield for my Lord THANK YOU as well for your sacrifices, tears, sweat and blood that may have been shed.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 21:16:26 +0000