Ava DuVernay! You did great work with this movie. The first ten minutes captivated me. You see a well-dressed Martin uncomfortably receiving a Nobel Peace Prize award, but what comes next sets the tone for the whole movie. We are not sugar-coating anything with this film are we?
It’s clear this movie is addressing the reality of black lives in the 1960s, south. Four little girls walking down their church steps, talking about things that girls would most likely be talking about and then the bomb goes off, and their pretty little shoes, their hair bows, their dresses, blown away like a vapor. Their lives were taken from them because of the brutal hatred for their black skin. This scene is followed by another very powerful scene with Oprah Winfrey attempting to gain her right to vote. We see how demeaning those voter registration tests were and it brought on the first of many tears in my eyes.
Watching this movie, I had a cathartic cry. It was one of the most emotional tears I’ve ever shed, filled with pain and peace at the same time; I can’t describe it. My tears were brought on by a scene where a black man trying to protect his mother and grandfather was killed by police while protesting. I had to turn the movie off and just cry. This stuff really happened back then and it’s happening today, but why? Why are these senseless acts of violence so prevalent? Why is human life devalued so? Selma had an effect on me, and if you haven’t watched it as yet I encourage you to. Nothing that Martin Luther King did was in vain. He sacrificed his life so we could have the freedoms and liberties that we too often take advantage of.
Right now the movie is on Hulu, which is where I was able to watch it.
Follow Lifestylebyky.com blog
Instagram @lifestylebyky
Twitter @bykyblogs
LifestyleByKy 