Selma by Rebekah Jordan Gienapp Connecting Faith and Life Session at a Glance This year marks the 50th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery. What happened leading up to and during the march? What role did it play in the Civil Rights Movement? How does remembering the march inspire our ongoing work for peace, equality, and human rights? FaithLink is available by subscription via e-mail (subservices@abingdonpress.com) or by downloading it from the Web (www.cokesbury.com/faithlink). Print in either color or black and white. Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Permission given to copy this page for use in a group setting. Nagel Photography / Shutterstock Selma to Montgomery The 50th anniversary of the historic civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery will be commemorated in Alabama next month. The film Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay, is also bringing renewed attention to the movement in a small Alabama community that was largely responsible for the introduction of the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act. Origins of the Selma Movement In 1963, local civil rights activists formed the Dallas County Improvement Association with goals that included investigating police brutality against blacks and fair access to voting registration and jobs. After being ignored by local officials, the Improvement Association convinced the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to make Selma a national focal point in the struggle for voter registration. At first, local officials in Selma, fearing bad national publicity, responded with some resistance to the registration efforts. In nearby Marion, however, efforts to register to vote were meeting much greater opposition. On February 18, a spur-of-the-moment march was organized. More than 200 law enforcement officers ordered the crowd to disperse and then violently charged the crowd. Many demonstrators were beaten. A state trooper shot church deacon Jimmie Lee Jackson as he tried to protect his mother from the trooper s nightstick. Jackson died from his injuries eight days later. According to Marion civil rights organizer Albert Turner, activists came up with the idea for a march from Selma in order to go to Montgomery with Jimmie Jackson, take his body and lay it on the steps of the capitol. A march was planned for March 7, and Governor George Wallace announced he would stop it. As the marchers approached Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were met by a blockade of state troopers and local officials, led by Sheriff Jim Clark and Major John Cloud. When the marchers refused to disperse, they were attacked with clubs and tear gas. Mounted police chased fleeing protestors, continuing to beat them. National news crews captured the massive violence on the day that became known as Bloody Sunday. Selma and the Voting Rights Act Dr. King and the SCLC immediately began summoning clergy from across the country to come to Selma for another march in just a 1
Core Bible Passages The story of the Israelites journey from slavery into the Promised Land has held deep meaning for many in the African American freedom struggle, from abolitionists to civil rights leaders of the 1960 s. In Exodus 14:5-29, Pharaoh changes his mind after letting the Israelites go and sends 600 chariots and his army to pursue them. The people cry out in fear, but Moses promises that the Lord will fight for you (verse 14). Protected by the pillar of cloud that God has provided, the Israelites are able to walk through the Red Sea that God has parted. First John 3:11-20 reflects on the nature of Christian love and how the world often resists that love. The church is told not to be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you (verse 13). First John uses startling, even harsh language, declaring that the one who hates a brother or sister is a murderer (verse 15). To be clear what he means by love, the writer admonishes the church, Let s not love with words or speech but with action and truth (verse 18). Paul reminds the church in Ephesians 2:11-16 that hostility and divisiveness have no place in the body of Christ. Though Jews and Gentiles were once separated, with Gentiles being aliens rather than citizens of Israel (verse 12), the body of Christ has broken down the barrier of hatred that divided us (verse 14). Pe rmission given to copy this page for use in a group setting. few days time. As religious leaders made their way to Alabama, a federal judge notified them that he intended to put a restraining order on the march until at least March 11. After consulting with other civil rights leaders and Justice Department officials, King led more than 2,000 marchers to Edmund Pettus Bridge, where they knelt, prayed, and then turned around rather than continuing to Montgomery. King s decision was controversial, yet the compromise may have been critical in President Lyndon B. Johnson s announcement that same day that he would submit a voting rights bill to Congress. The evening after the march, Unitarian minister Reverend James Reeb was attacked by a white mob and died two days later. President Johnson used Reeb s death to pressure Governor Wallace to protect participants who still planned to march from Selma to Montgomery. Wallace refused, and Johnson responded by federalizing Alabama National Guard troops, who would go on to protect the marchers alongside FBI agents. The Voting Rights Act was introduced days before the march began on March 21. By the time demonstrators arrived in Montgomery, the crowd had swelled to more than 25,000. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law on August 6th, with Johnson surrounded by King and other civil rights leaders. The legislation included provisions that prohibited using literacy tests as a requirement for voter registration. It also designated certain states as requiring federal monitoring because of widespread discrimination. These states were not allowed to change voter laws without first receiving federal approval. Contributions of Ordinary People to the Civil Rights Movement Much of the news and commentary around Ava DuVernay s film Selma has focused on the relationship portrayed between Dr. King and President Johnson. According to Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, a look at the film s portrayal of Johnson has both historical accuracies and inaccuracies. Zelizer says that analysis of White House tapes of Johnson show that he was already supportive of voting rights legislation, while the film shows Johnson as initially uninterested in voting rights. However, Zelizer says the film is correct in portraying Johnson, prior to events in Selma, as believing that the political timing was wrong for voting rights legislation. It was only after watching the violence in Selma that Johnson began to think he might have to take action on voting rights sooner. DuVernay has responded to criticisms of her portrayal of Johnson by stating, I m not a documentarian. I am an artist who explored history. And what I found, the questions I have, the ideas that I have about history, I have put into the project that I have made. What may have been missed in the controversy over President Johnson s portrayal is the stories of ordinary people that are told in the movie. DuVernay says that she felt very, very adamant about the fact that this film be broadened to include the community of people who came together 2
How Selma Residents Are Observing the 50th Anniversary Each year around March 7, a Bridge Crossing Jubilee is held in Selma commemorating the events of Bloody Sunday. This year, more than 40,000 are expected to attend, including many present and former government officials. There are a number of permanent historical exhibits in and around Selma that allow visitors to better understand the events that took place during the Civil Rights Movement, including an interpretative center by Edmund Pettus Bridge that is filled with photographs and extensive interviews of those who were part of the marches. The National Voting Rights Museum on the opposite side of the bridge tells more of the stories of the marchers. Historian Sam Walker says of the museum, Everybody has seen pictures of Dr. King leading the march. Those people behind him are what we are focusing on. One week before the large Bridge Crossing Jubilee, local churches in Selma are planning a reverse march across Edmund Pettus Bridge back into Selma. The Reverend Jerry Light is part of a biracial ministerial group planning the unity march. He said they want the nation to see that Selma is a loving, caring, giving community. Today, Selma faces its share of hard times, with the city s population now below 20,000 and its unemployment rate one of the highest in Alabama. to make it so. The actions of thousands of people whose names are not well-known pushed politicians to take action that they [didn t] have the courage to take on their own, writes Julian Zelizer. It also tells the story of many women organizers whose contributions have often not received the same recognition as men. One such woman was Amelia Boynton, who began fighting for voting rights in Alabama alongside her husband as early as the 1930 s. The Boyntons home and office served as a headquarters for SNCC s work in Selma. Boynton was key in persuading Dr. King that the SCLC should focus its voting registration efforts in Selma. On Bloody Sunday, Boynton was at the front of the march. In a book she later wrote about that time, she says, Like the children of Israel leaving Egypt, we marched toward the Red Sea, and we were on our way, not knowing what was before us. Boynton was beaten until she was unconscious, and some thought she was dead. When people called for an ambulance, Sheriff Jim Clark said, I m not sending for an ambulance. Let the buzzards eat them. When Clark died over 40 years later, Boynton attended his funeral to live out the Christian teaching of forgiveness. Selma s Significance Today The Selma movement began with a focus on the right to vote. What got the attention of many people outside the South was witnessing the police brutality activists faced for simply trying to exercise that right. The 50th anniversary of Selma comes at a time when violence committed by the police, especially against African Americans, is again at the center of national concern and controversy. We remember the people of Selma and what they sacrificed at a time when many civil rights leaders are once again concerned about people being fully able to exercise the right to vote. New voter laws requiring state-issued photo identification and reducing early-voting periods have been passed in a growing number of states. What impact will these laws have on the ability of low-income, elderly, rural, and minority people to cast their ballots? The courageous acts of civil rights activists in Selma and the brutal response they faced give us much food for thought as we consider the struggles for freedom, peace, and equality in our own time. The Southern Civil Rights Movement was largely led by people of faith. How can we as people of faith show in not just our words but also in our actions that injustice is an issue of faith and morality? Are we willing to take risks for what is right, whether that risk is facing violence or the rejection of those who disagree with our actions? Will we listen to the voices of those who face oppression, voices that ask us to act now rather than waiting, to speak for what is right? In remembering the story of Selma, we cannot help but wrestle with the difficult questions of where our faith and the world s struggles meet today. Pe rmission given to copy this page for use in a group setting. 3
The Power of Remembering Why do we find meaning in remembering and retelling the events of the past? Acts of remembrance hold a special place in Christian Scripture and theology. Deuteronomy 11:18-21 instructs the Israelites to take the words God has spoken and tie them on their hands, place them on their foreheads, write them on their doorframes, and teach them to their children. This is where the tradition of wearing tefillin, practiced by many Jewish men, comes from. An important part of the ritual of Holy Communion is the anamnesis, taken from two Greek words that mean not forgetting. The anamnesis takes place when we recall Jesus words to do this in remembrance of me (Luke 22:19). The Reverend Bill Rich of Trinity Episcopal Church in Boston writes that the most powerful remembering does not depend on words alone but rather combines word and deed. In the Eucharist, he reflects on how we are made one with Christ and with others so that we can re-member Christ by re-making the world just a bit more in the image of his love. What are the lessons of Selma that we must not forget? How will we honor the lives of those who gave so much in the struggle for freedom? How can retelling the events of Selma lead us to re-member and re-make our world, where so much racism and injustice still exist? Pe rmission given to copy this page for use in a group setting. United Methodists and Selma Retired United Methodist elder Gilbert H. Caldwell was one of the clergy who heeded Dr. King s call to come to Selma after the events of Bloody Sunday. In a recent commentary for the United Methodist News Service, Caldwell said that the film Selma offers all faithful United Methodists a chance to reflect on how the denomination of that time with its structure of segregating African-American churches into the old Central Jurisdiction dealt with racism. Caldwell encourages United Methodists to view the film with open hearts and without anger, guilt, disbelief, denial, or a wish to reverse our own history. He points out that just two years before the events in Selma, two Methodist bishops were part of a group of white clergy who published a famous statement in Birmingham s newspaper. The statement criticized outsiders for stirring up trouble in the streets of Birmingham and said that efforts for desegregation should only take place in the courts. Caldwell writes that Selma can help us understand why many blacks see occurrences of police violence as part of a long history rather than isolated incidents. He also believes that we can use the film to reflect on how the church still allows race to demean, diminish and divide us today. Helpful Links To learn more about the story of Selma marcher Amelia Boynton, go to http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/09/us/selma-civil-rights-matriarch/. To view TIME magazine s photo gallery of events in Selma, go to http:// content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1973747_2091475,00. html. Rebekah Jordan Gienapp is an ordained deacon in the Memphis Conference. FaithLink: Connecting Faith and Life is a weekly, topical study and an official resource for The United Methodist Church approved by the General Board of Discipleship and published weekly by Cokesbury, The United Methodist Publishing House; 201 Eighth Avenue, South; P.O. Box 801; Nashville, Tennessee 37202-0801. Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Common English Bible, copyrighted 2011 Common English Bible, and are used by permission. Permission is granted to photocopy pages 1 4 of this resource for use in FaithLink study groups. All Web addresses were correct and operational at the time of publication. Fax comments to FaithLink, 615-749-6512, or send e-mail to faithlinkgroup@umpublishing.org. For fax problems, fax FREE to 800-445-8189. For e-mail problems, send e-mail to Cokes_Serv@umpublishing. org. To order, call 800-672-1789, or visit our website at www.cokesbury.com/faithlink. 4
Selma How does remembering the march from Selma to Montgomery inspire our ongoing work for peace, equality, and human rights? CREATE Your Teaching Plan Keeping in mind your group members and your group time, choose from among the OPEN, EXPLORE, and CLOSE activities or from Teaching Alternative to plan the session. OPEN the Session Pray Together God of love and God of justice, open our minds, our hearts, and our lives to hear the stories of those who marched for equality in Selma 50 years ago. Help us to listen for what we did not know. Guide us to the places you ask your people to be today as witnesses of love and truth. Amen. Share What You Knew About Selma Invite group members to share what they knew (if anything) about the events in Selma before reading today s lesson. Ask: What names do you associate with events there? What have you heard about the film Selma? EXPLORE the Topic Make a Timeline Ask group members to review Origins of the Selma Movement and Selma and the Voting Rights Act. On large sheets of paper or a markerboard, draw a timeline. Invite participants to list key events before, during, and after the Selma marches. After placing all the events on the timeline, discuss what relationships you can see between the different events. Ask: How might things have happened differently if even one of these events did not take place the way that it did? View Photos of Events If you have Internet access in your meeting area, share TIME magazine s photo gallery of events in Selma (see Helpful Links ). After each photo, invite group members to share a word or phrase that this picture evokes for them. After the photo gallery is complete, discuss whether seeing the events, in addition to merely reading about them, changed how you understood what happened. Ask: How do you think the presence of television cameras and news crews affected the nation s response to events in Selma at the time? Discuss the Voting Rights Act Review Selma and the Voting Rights Act and Contributions of Ordinary People to the Civil Rights Movement. Ask: What were the key provisions of the law, and why were they needed? Historian Julian Zelizer has written that events in Selma show how ordinary people pushed politicians to take action that they [didn t] have the courage to take on their own. Ask: How did organizing in Selma influence President Johnson and Congress? What other events in American or world history can you think of where organizing by ordinary people led to major political or social changes? Explore Scripture Form three teams, with each team discussing one of the Scriptures found in Core Bible Passages. Encourage each team to use the following questions to discuss their particular Scripture after reading it aloud: 5
What significance might this Scripture have had for Christians who were part of the Selma movement? How do you see God working for justice in this passage or calling God s people to work for justice? How might God be speaking to the churches of today through this Scripture as we consider struggles for peace, equality, and human rights? Discuss the Film Selma Refer the group to Contributions of Ordinary People to the Civil Rights Movement. Discuss the following questions: What do you think of filmmaker Ava DuVernay s response to criticisms, in which she says she is not a documentary maker but an artist who has included her questions about history in her film? How might telling the stories of lesser-known people like Amelia Boynton change the film compared to a version that only focused on national leaders like Dr. King and President Johnson? Would our understanding of how social change happens be different if we told more stories of people whose actions currently get little recognition? Teaching Alternative Organize a group from your church to watch the movie Selma together, and have a discussion after the film. You may find a discussion guide written by the Reverend Gilbert Caldwell for the United Methodist General Commission on Religion and Race to be a helpful resource: http://gcorr.org/ resources/guide-viewing-movie-selma. Consider Methodists in Civil Rights History Refer to United Methodists and Selma. Ask: Why do you think the Reverend Caldwell encourages United Methodists to watch the film Selma with open hearts and without anger, guilt, disbelief, denial, or a wish to reverse our own history? Are there lessons we can learn for today from the fact that there were Methodist clergy who organized for civil rights, and others who urged civil rights activists to stop organizing and instead focus solely on making change through the courts? Are there ways that you see the church of today still allowing race to divide and diminish us? Explain. CLOSE the Session Reflect on Selma s Meaning for Today Provide a pen and paper for each group member and tell them it may be helpful to refer to Selma s Significance Today. Give the group a few minutes of silence to fill in the blanks in the following sentence: I believe that if those who organized in Selma 50 years ago were reflecting on our nation today, they would say... and they would encourage us to... Invite any who would like to share what they ve written with the entire group to do so. Pray Together Lead the group in the following prayer or one of your own choosing: Liberating God, we praise you that you led your people from slavery into freedom not just in the time of the Exodus but again and again throughout history. We thank you for the witness of those who had the courage to risk their lives and their livelihood, people who have shown us what love in action looks like. Forgive our nation, our church, and us for times when we have closed our eyes to injustice and even contributed to it. Lead us in repentance to speak up and act with those who face oppression. May we be continual witnesses to your love, which conquers all division and hostility. Amen. Next Week in FaithLink A Culture of Prayer The World Day of Prayer on March 6, 2015, reminds us that prayer is a vital practice of Christian faith. How does cultivating a culture of prayer lead to more vital congregations? How can we deepen and enhance our practice of prayer? 6