Jan. 9, 2015
"Selma": You've Got to See It!
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Whenever someone tells you how terrible a movie is—especially one about Black people or Civil Rights/Human Rights, one by a Black writer or director – you need to go to see it! It almost always means that it’s worth seeing; that’s my rule! It means that the film struck a nerve with someone who professes, “I’m not a racist” even as that person reacts as one!
Such is the case with "Selma" - a film whose central character is not President Lyndon Johnson, but which has been harshly critiqued as being unfairly critical of the legacy of LBJ. The film is not about LBJ and, unfortunately, most who would critique “Selma” in that manner are likely those unwilling to look realistically and objectively at the raw savagery reigned upon people who were only seeking the justice inherent in their citizenship.
Unquestionably, good white people participated in the Civil Rights Movement and no one can dispute the transformational legislation signed by President Johnson in 1964 and 1965. As a Black person, I am grateful for that, but I am far more grateful to the human beings who put their lives on the line—some making the ultimate sacrifice—to demonstrate the need for the laws than I am to the President who finally did the right thing.
To more honestly critique "Selma”, one must answer the questions, "Why did Johnson have to be asked to push a Voting Rights law?” “Why did he tolerate so much death and destruction before he did the right thing?”
While understanding the gravity of Johnson's actions, his decisions were made and his actions were taken in the sanctuary of his Oval Office. The only threat faced by LBJ was political. Unlike Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Viola Liuzzo, Pastor James Reeb, John Lewis, Jimmy Lee Jackson, Medgar Evers, Diane Nash, Fannie Lou Hamer and others, President Johnson did not have to weigh the threats against his life to the potential good which would be realized by their sacrifice.
I encourage everyone to see “Selma” and, after you've seen it, I ask you to share this powerful film with your family and friends. When you've seen it, have a serious discussion with your children and grandchildren about what yesterday's leaders endured to give us the rights we enjoy today. Let "Selma" teach them the lessons of courage and conviction and show how under the threat of death, people were willing to put their lives on the line for what is right. Use "Selma" to let all you hold dear to know why you tell them, “The struggle continues!” Teach their responsibility to pick up the baton and join the movement to push us closer to our rightful place in America.
I applaud Ava DuVernay for making this movie and I challenge its critics to honestly assess how many filmmakers have produced honest depictions of the struggles and accomplishments of African Americans.
The 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act will be celebrated this year. This auspicious anniversary should illuminate the goals achieved in the past and give good cause to resist those who are actively engaged in a campaign to reverse our hard fought voting rights gains.
In the month of March, it might also be a good idea to take our children and our families to Selma, Alabama for the Bloody Sunday observance. Such a pilgrimage will take them closer to the ground where people died to give us the right to vote. They will gain a better appreciation of what happened there, as well as why they should never ignore an opportunity to vote at any level. Perhaps seeing the film “Selma” and taking that trip to Selma could help to indelibly make that point.
(Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women. 202/678-6788. www.nationalcongressbw.org.)