Discrimination In The Movie Selma

The second major role teachers can play in educating students about racism is through exactly that, education. "A lot has been written about the nature of prejudice, and racism, the many ways in which it is manifested, how it is transmitted and perpetuated, and even the stages that individuals go though in overcoming it's effects" (Hacker 192). If teachers would find this information, believe in it and share it with the children, then hopefully a few, if not all the views of the students will change. "Everyone needs this body of knowledge" (193).

This video showed the public how the police brutally beat a man that was defenseless. The video spread ramped around the whole news community and a title of the LAPD became known as the most hated cops in America. In LA, there was a problem with racial profiling and police brutality but the blacks were never able to prove the police’s wrong doing. With the video, the blacks felt that this could be an open door to showing the world how the LAPD really acted.

The importance of this film is that it puts the issue of racism and oppression in your face in such a way that it forces you to take an honest look, not just at the systematic oppression and racism experienced by African Americans, but also at how black lives in America are still undervalued as a result. In addition to this we are made aware even moreso that not much has changed for blacks in the sense

While the film demonizes Johnson and suggests that he was working against those taking part in the Civil Rights Movement, this is not historically correct. Although his actions in proposing the Voting Rights Act were delayed, Johnson was “a crucial ally in the quest for black voting rights” throughout the Civil Rights Movement.3 The film depicts several meetings between King and Johnson where Johnson is rather harsh and ignorant towards King’s pleas, while in reality, “Johnson . . . [only] wanted the dust to settle from the Civil Rights Act . . .” before he could propose a voting rights bill.3 Following the protest in Selma which broke out in violence, Johnson spoke on national television of how it is wrong to inflict violence upon innocent citizens, and it is equally as wrong to deny a citizen the right to vote based on the color of their skin.3

Since slavery, crimes committed on black bodies have been blatantly ignored and deemed unimportant. This put in place a precedent and is a big step for American society. In the movie, a Nazi and shooter at the protest shows his change of

The first thing that caught my attention was how unprofessional the two Newark Police Officers in the patrol car were while on duty. I did not find it appropriate to be smoking cigars or cursing at the citizens they were trying to detain for absolutely no reason. Furthermore, it was a bit unsettling to hear them justify their violent attacks on innocent citizens. The officers in the film claimed these actions were done to protect themselves and “protect” the young men of color they are trying to detain. This was ironic because most victims of stop and frisk, which is essentially what these officers are doing, feel threatened. Which explains why they react in such a defensive manner. However, to some officers this behavior comes off as criminal.

This demonstration was known as the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. (7) This demonstration took place in 1966. (7) African-American people wanted to make a stand from police violence and they wanted stricter laws for their own benefits. (7) This demonstration has impacted our world greatly today and has made it easier for African-American people to share their thoughts and beliefs without being harmed. (7) This movement was completely associated with the civil rights act, however it started as this movement but then when policeman joined the trouble everything went downhill. (10) Policeman caused racial issues to arise and this lead to terrible police brutality examples. (10) Thus, policeman were hitting and hurting this innocent African-American people because of what they were standing up for and because of their skin tone and the stereotypes that American citizens had made for them.

Even though the marchers faced violent opposition and met with conflict, they continued their demonstrations. The books and the movie displayed controversy throughout. One example is during the first attempt to cross the bridge, when the marchers were met by the Alabama State Troopers. It went very dark, very quick, as the troopers barged towards them, making this day known as “Bloody Sunday”, March 7, 1965. When asked for his comments in the movie by the press after the merciless attack on the marchers, King says “While rageful violence continues towards the unarmed people of Selma, while they are assaulted with tear gas and batons like enemy in a war, no citizen of this country can call themselves blameless, for we all bear a responsibility for our fellow man. I am appealing to men and women of God and goodwill everywhere, white, black and otherwise. If you believe all are created equal, come to Selma. Join us. Join our march against injustice and inhumanity. We need you to stand with us”

On March 7, 1965, a very famous five day, 54 long mile march of about 600 peaceful protestors took place from Selma, Alabama to the state capital Montgomery, Alabama. This was a very peaceful march that was caused by the Voting Rights Movement for African Americans in Selma. In Selma, African Americans made up more than half the population, but only a mere two percent were actual registered voters. Discrimination and intimidation tactics aimed at African American kept them from registering and voting. The demonstrators marched to demand fairness in voter registration. With over half the population of Selma being African American there is no reason or excuse besides ignorance for why only two percent had the right to vote. To give sort of a background to leading up to the march, in 1963 a group of community activists formed the "Dallas County Improvement Association" Dallas County being the actual county that Selma is in. With the goal of having "White" and "Colored" signs removed from public buildings, an investigation of police brutality against Africans Americans, and increased access to jobs and voter registration. Local officials ignored the Association 's concerns.

The movie starts with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., preparing for his noble peace prize award. And goes on to show the struggle of Negro’s as they was trying to register to vote, with a very power seen with Oprah Winfrey as she show immense courage trying to

The article mentions how social media plays a huge part in displaying police brutality publicly. One of the main reasons Oscar Grant’s story was so well known was because it was captured by multiple video mobile devices. Within seconds these videos were uploaded causing a public problem that needed to be addressed. Later causing a media uproar and violent as well as peaceful protest across the country. Whereas before social media became a huge part of our society the mistreatment of black men would go unnoticed. Likewise, the article references how black men rebel against society due to the way they are perceived, as a threat. In the film the young men voiced their disrespect towards the police officers. some of the young men saying “You aren’t

I originally started writing this piece sometime early last year (2015). It was after seeing the award winning movie Selma which was so good that it stayed in theaters for a while. I went to see the movie sometime in mid-January and while I was used to seeing historical films such as that one, as I sat and watched, it really had me thinking. The film did something to me, and as I watching one of the many scenes they depicted of the March to Montgomery, I got emotional. Now, I am not usually one to cry at movies, but for some reason, for this film, I was able to really put myself into the shoes of not only Dr. King, but in the shoes of all those who were beaten, who were abused, and more importantly those who were treated with injustice. After

It's clear that in America and other countries the same racially charged issues between the public and police are still at the forefront for our lives. Moreover, the emergence of protest groups like Back Lives Matter show that this issue still affects African Americans today. The parallels between 1992 and today are shocking and through the scope of the media perspective shows little progress made. In addition, due to our technologically soaked environment we are being shown these types of horrific videos far too often. Its clear that there is still systematic racial barriers to overcome in our society.

The public was able to witness for the first time the violence and police brutality used against many civil rights activist. The majority of the civil rights demonstrators in Alabama that day were high school students. The pictures of these children being attacked by dogs and sprayed with water from high-powered fire hoses were very disturbing and shocking to most viewers. It gave a more accurate and sympathetic account; one that the public hadn’t seen before,

First of all, this was a great movie. There is so much going on throughout the movie that it is difficult to pick just one section of it to blog about. Like Amber, I too felt this same part of the movie hitting home with me. I have found myself doing the same action as the white women at times with my boyfriend, family, and friends; getting closer to whom I am with, walking faster, or looking away from others I am meeting on the street. Not only however do I feel this way around black individuals, but for many people I meet on the streets of whom I am unsure about. I feel that growing up in a small town has led me to “fear the unknown”. I do not mean to offend anyone with my actions, nor do I even do this consciously, but now after viewing