Some see voting as a form of speaking, a political expression of power as a free citizen, making voices heard in America.
But have you ever felt voiceless?
Not because you didn’t have the right to vote, but because your pigmentation was darker than a so-called “majority,” making it difficult for you to even register to vote?
The recent Golden Globe nominated movie “Selma” told the story of the black minorities who marched from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., for their voting rights as Americans.
Directed by Ava DuVernay and starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr., the movie gave raw insight on the continuing struggles against discrimination despite the Civil Rights Act of 1964. One man, MLK Jr, paved the way for modern day freedom.
But as a minority, walking up to a majority white establishment in hopes to register to vote was far from easy.
In the film, King expressed how voting is controlled by the majority race. Even a “courtroom jury” is all white, saying whites would “rather see you suffer than succeed.” King insisted that in order to raise “white consciousness,” blacks must “negotiate, demonstrate, and resist.” King felt violent retaliation got black protesters nowhere, except guilty in the eyes of the law, and provided more of a reason for obstruction between races.
The movie reminds me of modern day law enforcement and the cases of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time and lost their lives. Innocent or minimally threatening citizens are dying at the hands of law enforcement. Many people think some police officers got away with murder. As King asked in the film, “how many fingers were on that trigger?” If there is one finger, there are surely more supporting and backing that one up.
As King said in the movie:“I wonder how many must we lose?”
In the film, King’s wife Coretta Scott King said she could never get used to the “constant closeness of death.” But King was confident that “our lives are not fully lived if we’re not willing to die for those we love and for what we believe.” Along with many other powerful and inspiring quotes throughout the film, Mrs. King’s friend spoke these words of encouragement: “I know the blood descendants of mighty people who gave civilization to the world. People who survived the holes of slave ships across vast oceans, people innovate, create and loved, despite pressures and tortures unimaginable. They are in our bloodstream pumping our hearts every second. They have prepared you…you are already prepared.”
According to the film, news reports of the epic march were viewed by 70 million people # an uncomfortable scene, yet watched from a comfortable couch. It makes us wonder#what did our parents, grandparents and elder family friends witness? Were they on the couch, or on the front lines? Did they reach out a hand or sit back and watch with ease? On MLK day, the audience of St. Petersburg’s commemorative parade is mostly African American. Does that answer the question?
Kalima Haneef, a senior majoring in mass communications, is the photo editor. She can be reached at khaneef@mail.usf.edu or on Twitter @LimaWisdomENT.
