5 Civil Rights Movies That Are Great (And 5 That Are Offensively Awful)

1. Selma (2014)

Some films are just perfect for their time, and arrive with a seismic impact that taps into a cultural feeling. Selma is one of these films, and with its current 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and recent Oscar snubs controversy (despite this obviously enthusiastic reception), Selma is a real must see film right now. The opening scenes of the film tell more about the complex reality of the African American freedom struggles movement than a lot of other films can during their two hour plus running times. The contrast of King being deified as the saviour of African Americans by the political establishment contrasts with the ghastly act of American terrorism (which is the focus of 4 Little Girls), and the reality of how states were able to use innocent sounding laws to stop African Americans from voting. From here the film only goes from strength to strength, and while there have been criticisms of the depiction of Lyndon Johnson, these criticisms are missing the point. By and large the white political establishment didn€™t want African Americans fighting for freedom and social rights and didn€™t give up an inch. Since before slavery ended, African Americans had been organising and sacrificing themselves in the pursuit for equal standing in America and they constantly battled uphill. So Johnson€™s characterisation is an embodiment of the entire mainstream white political establishment in the USA rather than specifically a biography of the man itself. When understood like this, it is a powerful indictment of a system that bred and needed racism. Director Ava DuVernay also deserves the highest of praise for adding a litany of new female characters to the film, which has finally given some light to heroes often forgotten when we focus only on €˜great men€™ rather than communities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6t7vVTxaic Women were the Civil Rights Movement. Without the organising, fundraising, and activism of African American women, the most iconic and influential African American freedom struggles (such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott for example) would never have been possible. Throughout African American history women organised African American micro-communities largely within the church, to provide alternative support since official government support was never going to be a thing. Yet women are largely absent from the story. Selma, while obviously having a large focus on men, still attempts to remedy this injustice.