COLUMN: The march goes on
Since the movie "Selma" has premiered in theaters, I have seen it twice.
I’m not going to lie, I’ve cried twice.
This column will contain spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen the film, although it contains historical facts, so one ought to already know it. For me, the most profound, heart-wrenching scene in the film was when Jimmie Lee Jackson was murdered by an Alabama state trooper after participating in a peaceful protest after Dr. King left Selma.
Jimmie Lee Jackson was unarmed and yet the only shots fired were the ones in which bullets tore through his heart. History has glorified Jimmie Lee Jackson and vilified the state trooper who murdered him in cold blood. In 2010, 45 years after those shots rang through the air, former Alabama state trooper James Bonard Fowler was sentenced to prison for six months.
Is this sufficient justice?
Police brutality committed against people of color, particularly black men, is an epidemic in the United States.
It did not end with the slaughter of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955 and it did not end when the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964. It did not end when Jimmie Lee Jackson was murdered in 1965 and it did not end when Eric Garner was murdered in the arms of someone who took an oath to protect him last year. It did not end when 12-year-old Tamir Rice had his life snuffed out before it ever began within two seconds of encountering Cleveland police officers in November.
The Civil Rights Movement is not over yet.
Members of the Ku Klux Klan covered their face to instill fear and terror throughout American history. Today, cops – and self ascribed neighborhood watch volunteers – get front pages in the paper and million dollar interviews where they express no remorse for their actions.
The events in "Selma" may have occurred half a century ago, but the march must go on.
There will be more Darren Wilsons and more George Zimmermans. There will be more Eric Garners and another Tamir Rice.
Those who lost their lives because of the color of their skin do not have to be remembered in vain. Let this half-centenary anniversary of the Voting Rights Act honor history and move forward towards progress. Let us stand together and march into the future.
“We shall overcome,” as Lyndon B. Johnson said. We must overcome.
