I saw Selma this weekend, as I believe all should. Not only is it important for these stories to be told often and repeatedly, but the cinematography is beautiful. It’s hard to believe protests were needed to alter legislation of something that already existed – an equal right to vote.
But these injustices still exist today. We’re still fighting for equal rights across the board. Laws may have been changed, but a perception still exists. And this time around, there’s a large population who doesn’t believe it does. A population that believes we’ve come far enough. A population of people who are “tired” of hearing about problems that they don’t believe exist.
I say, speak up. To those who say discrimination isn’t that bad, tell them a quick story of a situation that happened to you. Doesn’t need to be long or make them feel guilty, just needs to give them a second to think and decide if they think that’s right. A second to acknowledge and understand how discrimination may be affecting not only the people in our country but the success of our society. A second to wonder how this is still happening. Be loud.
Little change will occur until people desire to understand, but if no one is giving them a reason to understand, why will they bother? No matter how in depth your knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement is, when you see a movie like Selma or when you watch the real footage from the events, it is horrifying to see with your own eyes how openly hateful people were / are.
I realize how naive this is and that it takes a lot more than this but in the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the celebration of this day I frequently remind myself of one of his quotes: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We don’t have the same leadership right now that Martin offered, but we do have voices. Voices that deserve to be heard as injustice continues.
You and I may not be leading the charge on a national scale, but we can affect change in our local communities. We can quiet the voices of those who are quick to judge or choose to ignore that discrimination still exists. By hearing your story or seeing this movie might help them connect the dots. Might make them understand for a second.. Selma is now.