Selma Blog

Selma Blog

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The film has given a series of new information that I was previously not privy to. For instance, there is a moment in the film that shows King sharing a meal in a relaxed setting with friends. This lighthearted personality he displays is something I never thought about. In another scene in a cell, Martin Luther King questions Ralph Abernathy as to what their end game is. At this point he seems unsure and needs reassurance that the fight they are engaged in is worth it. Before this film, I thought of Martin Luther King as someone who wouldn’t need any reassurance when undertaking any action. The issue about him engaging in extramarital affairs was also surprising but I thought all these served as a reminder that he was also human.

The film certainly gives insight to the issue of equality in representation. Congress today contains 17% women and 83% men. The imbalance also affects race since 64 % of the population in the U.S. is white, 16% Hispanic, 13% African American and 1% Native American. Despite this fact, the senate has no Native Americans and the congress consists of 3% Hispanic and 5% African Americans.

I consider it important to vote in the legislative and presidential elections because having a vote is equal to having a say in matters that matter. By exercising my right to vote, I will have had a say in who I want as my president and as a result, made democracy that much more representative.

The film has definitely given me a new point of view towards the otherwise simple act of voting. The struggles and deaths experienced in the film and the fact that they had to be experienced for voting rights to be awarded shows the importance of having the right to be heard.

Reference

DuVernay, A., & Webb, P. (2014). Selma [Film].