Selma is a good movie (I know I'm late)

The struggle for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is as old as life itself. Since the fall of man in the garden, man has fought to stay alive, yearned to follow the desires of his heart, and fought to improve his lot in life. This desire fueled the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, built the Roman empire, led the insurrections that ultimately brought down the Roman empire, and fueled the Renaissance and Reformation.

The desire for liberty and self-actualization sparked both the American and French revolutions, the Mexican Revolution, the Texas Revolution, and even the Civil War.

The desire to live safely, as one believes fit, and to advance one's station in life, is universal in every human being to walk the planet. A man born into slavery, a man born into absolute poverty, and a man born to privilege all share this same desire. No man is born without this desire, and this desire is foreign to no man.

The struggle for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and the demand for equal protection under the law, and the extension of dignity from society to African Americans were well articulated in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech to the Jobs and Freedom March in Washington DC in 1963. That speech was Dr. King's manifesto, his creed, and the foundation of his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement. While Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech articulated the vision to bring equality and dignity to the African American people, his activism demonstrated those values.

Such came to a full head of steam in Selma, Ala., March 7-25, 1965. Dr. Martin Luther King, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, went to Selma to protest the immoral, if not illegal, denial of African Americans the right to vote. As demonstrated in the movie, Selma, if African Americans could not vote, they had no say in government, could not determine their own destinies, and could not qualify to sit on a jury. In a free country, African Americans living in the Deep South were little more than serfs living on a manor controlled by lords who hated them. (I know that's a strong statement, but it's true. I was born in the South, raised in the South, and there are a lot of things I love about the South, but I'm ashamed of it's Jim Crow history.)

In order to free African Americans from their serfdom, Dr. King knew they had to secure the right to vote. So, to raise awareness, to pressure Alabama officials to give them the right to vote, and to pressure Lyndon B. Johnson to push the Voting Rights Act, Dr. King led a march from Selma to Montgomery. Efforts to launch this march took weeks, and the march was attempted in his absence to devastating results.

Selma captures this. In addition to the historical accuracy of the film, Selma puts a human face on the history of the Civil Rights Movement. No one is bestowed sainthood, no one (outside of Gov. Wallace, the local sheriff, and the state police), is demonized. The movie even gave prominence to white people who went to Selma to march with Dr. King, chronicled their persecution, and noted how white participation in the movement, and recognition of the Civil Rights Movement was important.

The film also showed the human side of the Civil Rights Movement. While LBJ gets credit for the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, the movie chronicles Johnson's reluctance to take up voting rights, his desire to control the Civil Rights Movement, and his surveillance of Dr. King's activities. While no one can dispute the wholesale changes Dr. King influenced in America, the movie also addresses his personal weaknesses, his moral failures, and the tension between he and his wife, Coretta Scott King.

The movie showed the Civil Rights Movement for what it was, and moreover, it showed us who we are, imperfect sinners struggling, vying for a better way, a better world, and a better life. It showed the struggle that man wages in an effort to better himself.

And for that honest depiction of who we were, who we are, and for what we strive, I say the movie Selma deserved more accolades than it received.