If We Knew Our History - Zinn Education Project Monthly Column

Presented by the Zinn Education Project
A Collaboration between Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change

Ten Things You Should Know About Selma Before You See the Film

By Emilye Crosby, professor of history at SUNY Geneseo and editor of Civil Rights History from the Ground Up

In this 50th anniversary year of the Selma-to-Montgomery March and the Voting Rights Act it helped inspire, national media will focus on the iconic images of "Bloody Sunday," the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the interracial marchers, and President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act. This version of history, emphasizing a top-down narrative and isolated events, reinforces the master narrative that civil rights activists describe as "Rosa sat down, Martin stood up, and the white folks came south to save the day."

But there is a "people's history" of Selma that we all can learn from----one that is needed especially now. Here are 10 points to keep in mind about Selma's civil rights history. Continue reading.

_____________________________________________________________

"Ten Things You Should Know About Selma Before You See the Film" is the newest article
in the Zinn Education Project series, If We Knew Our History, posted on
Common Dreams and Huffington Post.

You can help us reach a wider audience in three steps:

READ - COMMENT - SHARE

Read, comment, and share today!

Related Article
	On the Road to Voting Rights: Freedom Day in Selma, 1963 By Howard Zinn SNCC had declared October 7 as Freedom Day. The idea was to bring hundreds of people to register to vote, hoping that their numbers would decrease fear. And there was much to fear. John Lewis and seven others were still in jail. Sheriff Jim Clark, huge and bullying, had deputized a force that was armed and on the prowl. To build up courage, people gathered in churches night after night before Freedom Day. The churches were packed as people listened to speeches, prayed, sang. Continue reading.

Promote People's History

Help us bring this history and more to teachers and students across the country. When you make a donation, we'll send you a button or sticker to spread the word about the importance of teaching outside the textbook. Donate today!

Button measures 2.5"round.

Sticker measure 7.5" x 3.75"

Yes, I Support Teaching People's History!

� 2015 The Zinn Education Project, a collaboration of Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change.

	The goal of the Zinn Education Project is to introduce students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of United States history. www.zinnedproject.org