10 Things I Learned from Screening 'Selma'
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - I grew up in Alabama and was there during the Birmingham bombing and the march from Selma to the capital, Montgomery. My father marched with Dr. King and it is a period of history I lived through as a child and have read a great deal about.
I saw "Selma," was not expecting a documentary, just a drama and am shocked people of my age seemingly know so little about this civil rights era. Nonetheless, here are 10 things I learned from screening "Selma":
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Ava DuVernay (credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
10. Director, Ava Duvernay, is the first African American female to be nominated for a Golden Globe.
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9. My father was asked to name all the capitals the first time he registered to vote in Alabama.
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(L-R) Mahalia Jackson & Ledisi (credit: Getty Images)
8. Ledisi and Mahalia Jackson are both in the production through song.
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7. Ferguson Mentioned In Lyrics
John Legend and Common, who also acts in the film, referenced Ferguson in a song in the film.
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Oprah Winfrey in "Selma" (credit: Paramount Pictures)
6. The use of the FBI logs as graphics in the film were illuminating and brilliant.
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Alabama Governor George C. Wallace & President Lyndon Johnson (credit: Getty Images)
5. President Johnson & Governor Wallace
There was little difference in terms of culpability between President Lyndon Johnson and Alabama Governor George C. Wallace.
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Harry Belafonte & Sammy Davis Jr. (credit: Getty Images)
4. Two Celebrities Walked
Sammy Davis Jr. & Harry Belafonte were but two celebrities participating in the walk as seen in archival footage in the film.
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Rev. Ralph Abernathy & Bayard Rustin (credit: Getty Images)
3. The actors playing Rev. Ralph Abernathy and Bayard Rustin were superb.
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Martin Luther King (credit: Keystone/Getty Images)
2. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Smoked Cigarettes
"I had no idea!"
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Brad Pitt (credit: Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
1. Brad Pitt Is An Executive Producer
