Category: Selma to Montgomery March

On Sunday, November 12, we will continue viewing the documentary, “Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot”. We saw the first twelve minutes last Sunday, and used the rest of the class time to discuss what we had seen and talk about the involvement of some of our classmates in the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s.

Tomorrow we will see how Martin Luther King, Jr. became involved in the struggle for voting rights in Selma. Here are a few questions we will consider as we watch the documentary:

1. What brought Dr. King to Selma?
2. Demonstrators marched to the courthouse every day during the early part of the voting rights campaign. Why did they do that?
3. Teachers from the local black school joined the protests. Why was this significant, and what risks did they take?
4. How did the death of Jimmie Lee Jackson affect the campaign?
5. What happened in Selma after Bloody Sunday made national news?
6. What evidence did you notice in the documentary of the role faith played in the developing campaign in Selma?
7. What does that evidence show about the faith of the participants?

On Sunday, November 5, 2017 we will begin viewing the documentary, “Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot”. We will watch the first twelve minutes, then have time for discussion and reflection.

The documentary is produced by Teaching Tolerance, an Alabama based organization that produces educational materials supporting respect for diversity.

As we view this first segment of the documentary we will consider the connection between churches and the early days of the civil rights struggle against Jim Crow. The documentary does not focus on this. We will need to pick up on clues in the documentary that suggest the roll churches played.

I look forward to seeing you at Binkley.