Selma - Struggle for Civil Rights in Mid-Century USA - Movie Review Example

Full The Reawakening of the Voting Issue In every community, there often arise structural strains because of disagreements of some sort and members of both parties would find ways to maintain their position and power in the group. Sometimes, things are easily settled if not tolerated but at other times, things can get out of the control of people in authority. For instance, social movements are formed in order to gather a strong voice that will not simply make the minority’s grievances be heard but to rally others to join them. This reflects the very point of Davidson and Lytle who said that “group/s within society who feel threatened or discontented of the social order leads them to a disruptive psychological state; (making them) sense they need to act but may feel powerless to do so through normal politics. To make society respond to their sense of grievance, these discontented individuals form a social movement” (377). This idea is reflected in the Voter registration march in Selma. The march was initiated because of the belief of Black Americans that they are not completely free even though they have no slave-owners anymore, unless they are allowed to vote. In the following paragraphs, the results of such movement will be dissected, considering its effectiveness or otherwise and the reasons as to why it succeeded or why it is limited to some degree. One of the most popular social movements formed in the history of America was the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s pioneered by Martin Luther King. Black Americans gathered strength fighting for their right to register so they can vote, marching and singing their call to be truly free, uniting not only the Christian Black community but including Muslims, Jews and other religions and even Whites who sacrificed their very own lives for the cause. These events are vividly pictured in the movie Selma which stars David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King and portrays the involvement of Reverend Jonathan Daniels, the white preacher who died as a result young child Sheyann in the movement. The film shows a passionately driven child stirring the flames in the hearts of her fellow Blacks to never stop fighting until they are given the right to vote. Although the movement was primarily led by King, the involvement of a young child in such a cause made it more dramatic and persuasive. This is one element that made an impact on the movement, causing older people who were afraid to participate, to join and sacrifice for the future of their children. For instance, Sheyann’s father initially did not approve of his daughter’s involvement in the movement not simply because she is a very young child but also because of his fear that he will loss her just as he lost his older daughter because of the same cause. Most parents did not like to get involved for fear that they will be unemployed or even killed by the Ku Klux Klan but with the unwavering dedication of King and his supporters, not to mention the very presence of a young girl, fired up the desire of those who initially were reluctant to join (DuVernay). The growing number of marchers took the attention of many politicians to consider what they must do to maintain peace and order amidst the protests. Police officers were assigned to block marchers and implement everything they could to stop the movement from marching and recruiting more protesters. Even private citizens were involved, not allowing recruiters to talk to their Black employees and threatening them. However, all the people involved did not fight back the police or the Klan. Their leader, Martin Luther King, believed that they do not have to resort to violence for them to achieve their dream of freedom. He firmly instilled in the minds of his supporters that they have a non-violent movement so in the face of danger, all they could do is flee or get beaten. Perhaps the non-violent nature of the movement made a great impact to the success of the march, making people realize the injustices done to marchers. For instance, during the march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, “peaceful participants were met by Alabama state troopers who attacked them with nightsticks, tear gas and whips after they refused to turn back” (history.com). The website notes that the incident was captured on national television and this outraged many Americans. This reaction of the general public, Blacks and Whites, made politicians feel the heat of the growing tension which eventually led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act into law by President Lyndon Johnson just a few months after the Selma march (history.com). Another instrument to the success of the movement is the powerful message of Martin Luther King in his speeches which reflect his beliefs about freedom and the rights that the Black Americans are being deprived of. Such speeches for instance, in “I Have a Dream” King illuminated many Black Americans of their “unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” and their need to fight for their rights as the very creed of the nation clearly states, that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”. King did not simply express his thoughts but he made his arguments strong by establishing his speeches from the truths derived from the constitution and the Bible. Such strong points made King’s claims valid and heard among Black and White communities and the appeal to logic naturally worked its wonders in the success of the movement that gave the Blacks the right to vote. On the other hand, the birth of a potential violent movement perhaps caused fear among the Whites, especially people on authority who did not want war. King’s contemporary, Malcolm Little, popularly known as Malcolm X, was also stirring another movement at that time whose participants were ready to resort to violence. In his speech entitled “The Ballot of the Bullet”, Little said that “If we don’t do something real soon, I think you’ll have to agree that we’re going to be forced either to use the ballot or the bullet”. He uses logic to convince his listeners of the injustices they are suffering and makes strong statements based from what is generally observed. For instance, he claims that being born and living in America does not make one an American just as a person seated on the table while he watches others eating does not make him a diner. The parallelism is used to make clear of their need to fight for their right to vote even if that means they need to get it by force. Although people preferred King’s philosophy, “white college students found ugly truths in his searing rhetoric of condemnation”. The ugly truths can easily gather strength among his growing followers to implement his threat of the use of the bullet which leaders were trying to avoid, forcing them to give way to the pleas of the Blacks. The movie Selma immortalizes the victory of the Black community in their fight for true freedom. However, Adam Liptak reports in June 2013 that “the Supreme Court freed nine states, mostly in the South, to change their election laws without advance federal approval” by a 5 to 4 vote against the Voting Rights Act. The reason of the majority regarding this move is that, the act that was unconstitutional. This again brings the same issues on freedom after decades of the implementation of the Voting Rights Act. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg describes the matter, she echoes the cries of Martin Luther King and many nameless, faceless freedom fighters saying that the leader’s “legacy and the nation’s commitment to justice had been ‘disserved by today’s decision’” (Liptak). Although most freedom fighters died believing that they have put an end to the injustice served to Black Americans in 1965, recent events show that that is not so. As Richard Brody describes in the New Yorker, “The voting rights that were fought for in the events of Selma are today under attack from state government across the country, in the North as well as the South- whether through simple gerrymandering, the intimidations of stringent voter ID requirements and their vigilante enforcement, or the simple calculated scarcity of polling places, subjecting black voters to disproportionately long waiting times and thus placing impediments to their vote” (Lerner). The reawakening of the same social and political issue shows that to some degree, the movement somehow failed to ensure that the issue is solved and that it will not rise to paralyze the Blacks again perhaps simply by having someone verify the constitutionality of the act. Instead, the fight is clearly an unfinished business. The freedom fighters of the 60’s came a long way from a brewing rage of a group led by Malcolm X and the non-violent, peaceful movement of Martin Luther King to the signing of the Voting Rights Act that gave Black Americans the right to vote. The success of the movement was celebrated and enjoyed by the Black community throughout the country for many decades now and the problem to have been laid to rest. Nevertheless, the seemingly successful movement failed to ensure the constitutionality and validity of the act that gave them the freedom to vote. Today, the same social issue fought for in the 60’s now threatens the voting rights of Blacks once again because no one bothered to scrutinize the validity and reliability of the act to maintain the rights of Black Americans after many generations. References Duvernay, Ava. “Selma”. Perf. David Oyelowo, tom Wilkinson and Carmen Ejogo. USA: Paramount Pictures, 2014. King, Martin Luther. I Have a Dream. American Rhetoric.com. August 28, 1963. Web. February 16, 2015. . Lerner, Kira. Selma’s Missing Epilogue: The Recent Dissolution of the Voting Rights Act. Think Progress. January 2, 2015. Web. February 14, 2015. . Liptak, Adam. Supreme Court Invalidates Key Part of Voting Rights Act. The New York Times. June 25, 2013. Web. February 14, 2015. . Little, Malcolm. The Ballot or the Bullet. Famous-speeches-and-speech-topics.info. april 3, 1964. Web. February 16, 2015. . n.a. Malcolm X. history.com. n.d. Web. February 16, 2015. . n.a. The Voting Rights Act. History.com. n.d. Web. February 15, 2015. . Read More