On Christmas Day, I took my family to see Selma. It was an entertaining movie, but being a Martin Luther King, Jr. fanatic, I did not recognize many of the speeches presented in the movie. Why? In 2009, the King Estate licensed his speeches to DreamWorks and Warner Bros. (along with the rights to his life).
Because King’s speeches are licensed to another project, Selma’s filmmakers had to find a way to re-create the meaning of MLK’s words without plagiarizing. That means they had to rewrite MLK’s words. The film skirts close to MLK’s words without using them.
One of the most memorable scenes occurs when Martin Luther King, Jr., while preaching to the congregation, explains why equal voting rights are crucial. He rallies them to stand up for their rights and sparks a movement that would change the world.
It is unacceptable that they use their power to keep us voiceless. As long as I am unable to use my constitutional right to vote, I do not have command of my own life. I cannot determine my own destiny. For it is determined for me by people who would rather see me suffer than succeed. Those that have gone before us say, ‘no more! No more!’ That means protest. That means march. That means disturb the peace. That means jail. That means risk. And that is hard. We will not wait any longer. Give us the vote. We’re not asking. We’re demanding. Give us the vote! Martin Luther King, Jr.
Happy Birthday frat! You stood tall among giants and I am because of you!
