Selma is a 2014 movie produced by Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. The film is directed by Ava DuVerynay and stars David Oyelowo among others. The movie depicts a three month period in 1965 when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a hazardous campaign in the face of ruthless opposition to secure equal voting rights among African Americans residing in the United States. From the film, I learned that the United States was at the time divided into two different cultures. The Americans, who were predominantly white and African Americans and other minority groups, but they all resided in the same geographical region. The African Americans especially those who were in South were socially, economically and politically …show more content…
made a peaceful demonstration by marching from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital in Montgomery. The activists were airing their grievances against the oppression by whites, particularly the denial of voting rights in the South. They were attacked by Alabama state troopers when they relented turning back and some of them were badly injured but they continued with the peaceful demonstration.
Selma shows some social workers who ran for their lives when the Alabama troop attacked the socialists who were peacefully demonstrating for voting rights. Other socialists were badly beaten using whips, tear gas and nightsticks when they refused to stop demonstrating. Driven by values of self-determination and equality, several socialists progressed with the demonstration despite the violence they were facing. The movie shows some civil rights activists who ran for their lives and failed to bring out their professional values of agitating for individual …show more content…
The African Americans were humiliated and denied basic rights while they were fully eligible to take part in social and civic activities. I felt so sad watching this film knowing that African Americans were not even entitled to visit white hospitals and easily died from dangerous diseases. There were special learning institutions for the whites while blacks’ schools were poorly established. Social workers have the role of protecting oppressed people in society and ensuring that they access basic amenities. The oppression depicted in this film shows the level of social neglect that afflicted African Americans at the time. There is so much that could have been done to ensure that peaceful protests did not turn into violent