The movie Selma was a somewhat educational, bittersweet movie about Martin Luther King Jr. and other advocates bravely organizing the poor, oppressed and bitterly hated black people to march on Selma, Alabama and declare in one voice that we, the African descended sons and daughters of great Kings and Queens, Gods and Goddesses have the right to be treated as human beings, have the right to equality, the right to vote- the right to exist without living in constant fear of being murdered/lynched by racist whites HERE in what we call, Amerikkka.
The movie allowed for the viewers to get a small glimpse into the King family, of course putting light on the relationship of Martin and Malcolm X, overall painting the pictures of our Martyrs not getting along too much with a bit of that hollywood flair and the bone-chilling fact that white citizens were pardoned in the murders of Black people and of those few who dared to stand up and do the right thing. The movie was hurtful because it touched on a lot of truth on how Amerikkka treated its stolen black citizens and continues to do so to this day with impunity and we damn sure didn't receive reparations for making this one of the most wealthiest countries with nothing to show for it but unmarked graves. The OMG response to the movie "Selma" being snubbed at the awards had one less surprised person in the audience, myself. I had gotten a few snubs also whenever I was asked did I think the movie "Selma" would win in the first place because I knew that in this unjust, quick to pacify the oppressed society, "Selma" would not win. Making amerikkkan movies about amerikkkans killing so-called "rebellious" "Educated" or "militant" amerikkkan slaves here just to turn around and reward the so-called slave descendant for rebelling in the first place against the amerikkkan white man who still, in 2015 murder people of color (and others) for continuing to defy his racist genocidal tactics of white "non-supremacy" and global domination is like taking sand to the beach, it makes no sense no matter how you slice it.
After the movie, as the credits were rolling POOR magazine had invited others who just saw "Selma" to join us in a "die in" outside in front of the theatre and only two or three of the moviegoers out of a full house showed up with love and support. I remember some of the looks on the other folks' faces were of mixed reactions to me, like we were stirring up trouble for the injustices that happened then and now, and the following look was as if we weren't of race and class privilege enough to lead part of a movement of great importance. Whether it is 1965 or 2015, the struggle continues.
There have always been limitations on how far the African in Amerikkka can go in the quest for knowledge of self, without some white (non) supremacist crying foul thus creating more lies and punishment as obstacles to ensure the darker nations remain under European oppressor rule. Teachers like Shannon Gibney and even Alan Barron working in these institutions can only say so much pertaining to the true history/ourstory of the world without being penalized for being "disrespectful" or "insensitive" to Caucasian students in general for revealing one way or another that they are indeed not the "master race". The truth may hurt the whites, but the racists' lies kill us everyday and globally.
Earlier this week, an African Descended, female teacher and according to earlier reports, the only black teacher in this particular school district in Benicia, California was called out and reprimanded for limiting a presentation pertaining to Black Ourstory to only Black students. In this society, only those with this stolen race and class advantages can keep things amongst themselves no matter who complains, there are restricted neighborhoods that exist even and if anyone opposes the will of the colonizer is in for a helluva battle. Along with an apology, school officials in Benicia had mentioned in a statement that the school "Wants every student to feel valued and respected", but my response is that African Descendant children who attend majority of these schools in this country are shortchanged from the start because the WHOLE educational institution is "owned" by white scholars who have deliberately erased the Histories/Ourstories of people of color to acquire and maintain white supremacy in the first place. There have always been discriminating laws in place against Blacks, especially those in captivity that prohibited any form of "Blacks only" congregations without the presence of the white overseer, or his house negro to make sure we "stayed in our place", to ensure that there were no discussions on so-called "slave" rebellions, uprisings or any negro truth-telling whatsoever. White students may have many advantages when we speak of skin privilege but they too have been given a small dose of injustice because they have been lied to also about their history. The truth has been layered with lies of heroism and honorable conquests when honestly it was rape, genocide, colonization, land/ culture theft and barbarism and the lessons our sons are left with is that murder makes the man. Mother Nature who? No virtue. Self Determination or the struggle will forever continue.