Le déanaí chuaigh Rang Staire na Cúigiú Bliana go dtí an phictiúrlann chun an scannán Selma a fheiscint. Cheap mé raibh an scannán seo mar fhoinse maith eolais ar an mairseáil ó Selma go Montgomery i 1965. Tá an mhairseáil agus Gluaiseacht na gCeart Sibhialta do dhaoine gorma mar chás-staidéar do chúrsa staire na hArdteiste. Anuas ar sin is eochairphearsa iad Martin Luther King agus Lyndon B. Johnson ar an gcúrsa céanna. Dhírigh an scannán seo ar King agus é ag iarraidh cearta vótála a bhaint amach don phobal gorm. Bhí an scannán beagán claonta i bhfabhar King agus léiríodh LBJ mar chonstaic ina threo. Taispeánadh an troid chrua a bhí ar dhaoine gorma a fhulaingt chun a gcearta a bhaint amach. Ní raibh an cur síos ar na daoine geala aontaobhach áfach. Léiríodh iad mar chairde agus naimhde ag an ngluaiseacht araon. Chabhraigh an scannán go mór liom an choimhlint chiníoch i Meiriceá sna 1960dí a thuiscint.

 

Aisling Nic Cárthaigh, Cill Dara & E. Ní Loingsigh.

Recently the fifth year History students went to the cinema to see Selma. I thought the film was a good source of information on the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965. The march and the Civil Rights Movement are a Case-Study on the Leaving Cert History course and as such they make a regular appearance on the exam papers. In addition Martin Luther King and President Lyndon B. Johnson are Key Personalities on the same course. The film focused on  King and his attempts to gain voting rights for blacks. The film was a little biased towards King and LBJ was portrayed merely as an obstacle in his way. The hard fight that blacks endured to gain the vote was shown however the portrayal of whites was not one-sided. They were shown as both enemies and friends of the Civil Rights Movement. The film helped me acquire a deeper understanding of Race Relations in America in the 1960s.

 

Aisling Nic Cárthaigh, Cill Dara & E. Ní Loingsigh.