Selma

I don't know if the movie "Selma" is an Oscar-winning worthy movie, or if its lead actor, David Oyelowo, and director, Ava DuVernay, should win either. Personally, my votes would lie elsewhere. I also wish a powerful, history-based film would have been more true to that history, especially as regards President Lyndon Johnson.

However, "Selma" is an extraordinarily important film and it merits strong praise and commendation. As I sat watching the movie, the most important thing that entered my mind was the reminder of the struggles that had to be fought, and are continuing today. 

The bravery that so many anonymous people displayed in the Civil Rights movement is astounding. To have the fortitude to walk into a government office to register to vote in Alabama in the 60's, or to lead marches and rallies while Klansman salivated nearby over the opportunity to beat and lynch you, or to stand up to incredible power and force and say, "I will not go quietly," is remarkable for its courage. 

We can remember Dr. King and other famous figures. But we cannot forget the countless, unnamed people who were bruised, battered, hosed, attacked by dogs, lynched, shot, and bombed all in the name of simple and basic equality.

So as I left the theater, my hope became that "Selma" might be a movie that is shown to schoolchildren all over the nation. That viewing would be followed by long discussions on Dr. King, President Johnson and the entire Civil Rights movement, and then connected to our modern times in the on-going struggle for full equality for blacks ... and Hispanics, gays, women ...