Selma (2014 PG-13)
Content Area
Rating
PG-13
Length
2h 8min
Movie Story Line
Based on the true story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to demand voting rights.
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Teaching Idea #1

Create a timeline of significant events from the Civil Rights Movement. Include events such as the freedom rides, Rosa Parks, the Birmingham church bombing, lunch counter protests, and the Civil Rights Act. Where did the marches in Selma fall in the larger Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr? Why was Selma chosen for this social justice action? How did the three marches from Selma to Montgomery lead to passage of the Voting Rights Act which became U.S. law August 6, 1965?

Teaching Idea #2

One idea the movie depicts is the importance of news media in communicating what was happening in Alabama to a global audience. What were the international implications of racial discrimination in the South? How does the news media and social media communicate social justice actions and protests differently today?

Teaching Idea #3

John Lewis led the first civil rights march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge when he was 25 years old. What is his legacy today, having served 17 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives? What work did he identify had yet to be accomplished when he marched in Black Lives Matter demonstrations, before his death in 2020?