A turning point in history

Selma protest courtesy of NBC News

Throughout the United States black discrimination in the poles was a reoccurring issue that was causing many casualties and day by day issues for many people. Martin Luther King was a man who was aware of these issues and wanted to fight back and get everyone the right to vote. A nonviolent protest march at Selma was held where thousands of blacks came to speak their word so they could get what they deserved.

The movie Selma was a very eye opening film for me to experience. I truly enjoyed the film especially getting the chance to learn about black history and what they had to go through to get the same rights as the whites. I was unaware of the criminal acts that happened in the south against the blacks and that those who committed these crimes did not get the punishment they rightfully deserved. I found it interesting only whites were able to sit on jury because you needed to be a registered voter and blacks were unable to get these rights due to intense interrogation. Throughout the film King truly showed what it was like to be a good man and never give up fighting no matter what you get put through. The black people showed their strength in the film throughout the explicit scenes where they fought with cops and protested for their rights. Selma really made me give props to the blacks for not letting the whites walk all over them and fight back no matter the possible outcome.

I grew up in a small town with about 98% white people therefore I did not experience much culture within blacks or any different sort of races. Throughout my history classes in high school we did not talk about discrimination very much. This has made me very blind to many of the racial issues that have happened in the United States. Many of the times I have experienced culture shocks is when traveling to the South. I have visited Alabama and South Carolina several times and both of these states truly opened my eyes to the racial pasts of our country.   

In the Letter From Birmingham Jail they talk about how they need to go about the racial issues. They wanted to go about the process in a nonviolent manor. In the movie Selma they also go about their protest in a nonviolent manor trying to get there views out to the people. The town of Birmingham had several homes that were bombed just like these bombings contributed to the push for the protests in Selma. The two of these pieces of work showed just how strong King was and his willingness to lead the blacks in their fight.