The selected moment focuses on the scene after Martin Luther King Jr., Cooper, and other SCLC leaders march towards the registration office in Selma, where they get arrested for Cooper fighting back the sheriff Jim Clark. The given part’s major player is King himself, who talks to Cooper about the generational oppression of African Americans (Selma). The scene is deep and revealing of the personal side of King, who is mostly discouraged and down during the conversation.
King openly and directly acknowledges the fact that Blacks were oppressed for such a long time that the majority of them are broken to the point where few escape mechanisms are left. Thus, the social issue at hand is the longitudinal oppression of African Americans and the notion that it is almost impossible to reverse the results of generational attempts to suppress the group. The portrayal is primarily done through King thinking out loud about the movement’s final goal and how difficult it is to correct the impact of systemic oppression. King quietly talks to Cooper, and other imprisoned Blacks are shown as an example of spiritually broken people. It is one of the few moments when King loses hope and almost admits the defeat, but Cooper successfully revitalizes his drive and passion.
In conclusion, the legacy of the generational oppression has always been obvious and persistent, and it was one of the key causes of the recent riots of Black Lives Matter. It can be described as a cocktail of issues, which were gradually accumulated and built the oppression persistent today. These might include police brutality, historic racism and segregation, the socioeconomic disadvantage of Blacks, educational inequalities, and family structure disruptions.
Work Cited
Selma. Directed by Ava DuVernay, performance by David Oyelowo, Paramount Pictures, 2014.