THE TRUE STORY OF THE FORGOTTEN HEROES — SELMA’S STUDENTS AND TEACHERS SELMA T H E BRIDGE T O T H E BALLOT COMMUNITY SCREENING GUIDE CONTENTS Quick Start Tips for Your Screening ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4 How to Use This Guide ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5 PART ONE // About the Film and the Selma-to-Montgomery March ���������������������������������������������������������������� 6 PART TWO // Your Community ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9 Resources ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 14 Acknowledgments ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15 2 THE BRIDGE TO THE BALLOT A film, a tool, a call to action Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot tells the story of the historic struggle for voting rights through the voices of the Alabama high school students and teachers who were the backbone of the Selma movement� They con- fronted a violent sheriff and a defiant governor determined to protect white supremacy at any cost� By organizing and marching bravely in the face of intimidation, violence, arrest and even murder, these activists achieved one of the most significant victories of the civil rights era—pas- sage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965� The film, narrated by Oscar®-winner Octavia box and by raising awareness of voting issues in Spencer, vividly recounts sacrifices that should their community� never be forgotten� Unfortunately, the strug- This 40-minute film is a crucial reminder that gle for voting rights has been lost on a generation each of us has the ability to bring about powerful of Americans� More than 90 million eligible vot- social change but only if we exercise our right to ers did not go to the polls in the 2012 presidential participate in our democracy� This guide supports election� In the 18-to-24 age group, 6 out of 10 did a community screening of Selma: The Bridge to the not vote� Two years later, voter turnout dropped to Ballot with background information, discussion a 72-year low� questions and community resources� Even worse, the U�S� Supreme Court has gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, and states Send feedback and ideas at splcenter.org/screening. have enacted a variety of voter suppression laws� Now is the time for civic groups to take action by registering and encouraging people to vote, by sup- For more information, and updates, visit porting proposals for greater access to the ballot selma.splcenter.org. COMMUNITY SCREENING GUIDE 3 Quick Start Tips for Your Screening PROMOTE YOUR SCREENING SCREEN THE FILM & DISCUSS The Southern Poverty Law Center has provided several When you screen the film, there are some key ideas you’ll tools to help your civic group promote its screening. The want to consider and discuss. Ask viewers these essential following resources and more are available for download questions for discussion: at splcenter.org/screening. • Why does voting matter today? Why were black cit- • Sample press release izens throughout the South ready to risk their lives to secure their right to vote? • Poster and flyer • Can people make a difference? What does it take to • Social media post and tweet end deeply ingrained injustice? TAKE ACTION • Voter turnout reached a 72-year low in 2014. Why Choose from this list of projects or create a new idea are people so hesitant to vote now? Is that the case for how your organization will improve voter turnout in in this community? Why or why not? your community. • Six-out-of-10 voters ages 18 to 24 did not vote in • Organize a neighborhood voter registration day the 2012 presidential election. What was young to help register people ages 17 and 18. The League voter turnout in this community? Does this state of Women Voters offers registration drive tips. It allow young people to register to vote at 17 if they also provides a high school voter registration drive will be 18 by Election Day? manual on its website. lwv.org/content/tips-successful-voter-registration-drives • In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a key lwv.org/content/high-school-voter-registration- provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Officials training-manual-3rd-edition are now no longer required to seek federal permis- sion to change voting laws. Why should Congress • Write letters to local elected officials. Voice reauthorize the act to again require permission? your opposition to voter ID laws and measures that threaten to stop voters of color, seniors and REPORT ON YOUR EVENT students from casting a ballot. Encourage your Let the SPLC know how things went at your screening. Congressional representative to support a reautho- It can help ensure groups across the nation successfully rization of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. use the film to raise awareness about voting rights issues. Report on your screening at sp.lc/Q2MZY. • Create a flyer that supplies voting information to members of the community. The ACLU offers tips • Where was your event held? How many people on creating and distributing flyers. attended? How was the film used? aclu.org/creating-flyers-and-posters • Send photos of your event. • Check to see if there is a local chapter of the • How was the film received by the audience? Did League of Women Voters or the NAACP. Visit it motivate young viewers to vote, or encourage online resources such as Vote411 and Rock the older viewers to start voting again? What topics and Vote (see the resources list in this guide for more). ideas were discussed afterward? Check online for local voting rights groups near you. lwv.org/get-involved/local-leagues • What worked at your screening? What didn’t work? naacp.org/pages/find-your-local-unit What would you do differently? • If you know family members and friends who typi- • What would help other organizations to host a suc- cally do not vote, make sure they vote in the next cessful screening? election. Offer to go with them to the polls or pro- vide transportation. • Register five first-time voters and make sure they vote in the next election. 4 THE BRIDGE TO THE BALLOT This guide is dedicated to the brave marchers of Bloody Sunday� On March 7, 1965, these men, women and children left Selma, Alabama, bound for the state capital of Montgomery� They were committed to disman- tling the racist Jim Crow policies that prevented African Americans from vot- ing� It was a message they were determined to deliver to George Wallace, the white supremacist governor who had earlier pledged “segregation now, segre- gation tomorrow, and segregation forever�” As the marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were met by state troopers and a local sheriff’s posse determined to stop them� The air filled with clouds of tear gas and the sound of nightsticks striking the flesh and bones of marchers� They were beaten back but not defeated� Their bravery on Bloody Sunday helped stir the conscience of a nation and ensure the right to vote for all citizens� HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot is a versatile film that can be used by civic groups and student organizations to motivate people to engage in the democratic process� This film shows that when eligible voters don’t cast a ballot, they don’t have a voice� And when citizens don’t have a voice, they are marginalized� Because we expect that people will use the film in many different ways— and will have different amounts of time available—we’ve made this guide flexible� You can introduce the film to the audience using the synopsis: the lists of people, groups and places in the film, all provided in this guide� Once you’ve screened the film, invite your audience to participate in our democracy by tackling current voting rights issues with your orga- nization� The “Your Community” section helps viewers identify voting rights issues in their community� COMMUNITY SCREENING GUIDE 5 PART ONE ABOUT THE FILM AND THE SELMA-TO-MONTGOMERY MARCH Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot tells the true story of the forgotten heroes of the historic struggle for vot- ing rights—Selma’s students and teachers� They confronted a violent sheriff and a defiant governor determined to protect white supremacy at any cost� By organizing and marching bravely in the face of intimidation, violence, arrest and even murder, these activists achieved one of the most significant victo- ries of the civil rights era—passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965� The story of the Selma-to-Montgomery march, like all stories in the civil rights movement, is much more than an isolated chapter in our history� The voting rights movement illustrates how citizens in our democracy can use the rights guaranteed them in the First Amendment to contest injustice� It shows the power of activism and nonviolence to disrupt oppressive systems� And it shows that the energy and momentum for social change often comes from the youngest among us� Despite the passage in 1870 of the 15th Amendment, which granted African-American men the right to vote, few black citizens could exercise that right 75 years later� Jim Crow laws, particularly in the Deep South, set literacy tests and