Dickinsonians Attend Free Selma Showing

In honor of David Oyelowo’s arrival on the Dickinson campus, Student Senate sponsored a showing of his latest film, Selma, for the Dickinson College community to watch free of charge.  The film played at the Carlisle Theater on Friday, March 3 and Sunday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. respectively. 

Directed by Ava DuVernay, the film depicts the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery in 1965.  Oyelowo plays King in the film’s tale of his leadership in the fight for civil rights. 

Tierney McCue ’20, a student who went to the Sunday showing commented that Selma “is such a powerful film that really does a great job portraying Dr. King in the light he deserves. One scene that was so emotional during Selma was when Dr. King led a group of peaceful protesters to the registration office where they were brutally attacked by local law enforcement. The registration office harassed and intimidated African-American voters while denying them their right to vote, which was horrible to watch as the injustice continued.” 

Abigail Kaija ’20, another attendee of the Sunday showing, was also moved by the emotional power of the film.  Selma brought to light historical events that have shaped this country and the message empowered me to pay attention to the injustice still woven into our culture,” she said.  “The bridge scene (The bridge was named after a KKK member) was powerful to watch because those brutal attacks and deaths happened no less than 50 years ago,” she continued.  Kaija commented that she was glad Senate had made tickets available to students for no cost.  “Honestly, I wouldn’t have gone if it wasn’t available to me free of charge,” she said. “I would have waited for it to come out on Netflix. I am on a college student budget.” 

McCue also demonstrated gratitude for the easy accessibility to students because “…it is so important for people to see [Selma]. I’d love to see other films like this shown.” 

Kaija shared this view, saying, “I would love to see more true-story movies based on historical events. I know Hidden Figures was also shown, which I missed. All in all, movies that have the power to shift perspective.”