“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” are the famous words that Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke during his address at Holt Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955.
With the recent protests in Ferguson, Missouri and the fight for justice in the deaths of several unarmed black men, it seems as though King’s words still resonate with Americans today and the release of Ava DuVernay’s film Selma couldn’t have come at a better time.
As the fight for justice continues, community leaders have taken it upon themselves to ensure that young people are met with the opportunity to connect the dots between the social issues of today and those we faced during the Civil Rights era. Last week, we reported that 27 black business executives joined forces to create the “Selma for Students” campaign, which has raised enough money to allow students in select cities nationwide to see the historic film for free. The unprecedented campaign, which is an extension of the original free Selma screening offered to NYC students, has raised over $2 million in a little over a week according to IBM executive Michael Littlejohn.
BlackEnterprise.com caught up with four of these executives to get insight on why they joined the campaign and what impact they hope the Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired film will have on youth today.
Valentino Carlotti, head of the Institutional Client Group in Goldman Sach’s Securities Division:
Why did you join the “Selma for Students” campaign?
I wanted to team up with my fellow leaders on this initiative to ensure that a significantly large number of young people would have the chance to view this important film. It was also a great opportunity to represent the reality of how we as business leaders all desire to support and help one another in our community.
What impact do you hope Selma will have on youth today?
I hope this movie will be an inspiration for youth today by showing a part of the history of the struggle for equality and the incredible courage, sacrifice and resilience of those who stood up for justice. Also, I would like viewers to recognize an example of a model of action that proves effective in achieving one’s aspirations– a model based on the power and strength of conscience, and the dignity it ensures for those that embrace and are true to their conscience.
Marva Smalls, EVP, Global Inclusion Strategy for VIACOM:
Why did you join the “Selma for Students” campaign?
Dr. King and the other Civil Rights leader’s journey in Alabama is an important part of American history. Having grown up in segregated South Carolina, I felt a special connection to this project as I did to the overall movement.
What impact do you hope Selma will have on youth today?
Selma is a hugely significant film today. Fifty years on, I believe students deserve access to the spirit, struggles and hope of Dr. King. Ava DuVernay’s brilliant film, and the significant public discourse surrounding it, delivers that legacy in a powerful way to the next generation who are inheriting the unfinished work of civil rights and justice for all in this country. My hope is that this film will serve as a catalyst for engagement for this next generation…that they realize they aren’t just spectators to history, but change agents in their own right.
Michael Littlejohn, executive at IBM:
Why did you join the “Selma for Students” campaign?
For a number of reasons. I think the first and most obvious is that Selma is a story that everyone should know about. While we can’t ensure that everyone sees it, we asked ourselves who was the most important population to see this and I thought that the 7th-9th graders targeted for the NYC project was key.
There was a report that said millennials are less racially tolerant than prior generations, and I thought how could that be? We are a more diverse world than we were 20 years ago, so how can they be less tolerant? That’s why this generation needs to be aware of what happened in the Civil Rights Movement and how it set the tone for all the rights movements of the last 50 years, whether it was gay rights, disability rights, etc. Selma is key to explaining that.
What impact do you hope Selma will have on youth today?
First of all, for African American students, I hope that it gives them some insight into their history and into what it took to get us to where we are today. As of [January 15th], we have raised $2 million in a little over a week, and that couldn’t have happened 40 years ago. So I want all American students to understand where they come from and what had to happen to get us to where we are today. It’s important for all students to understand the Civil Rights Movement and why it’s important for us to be more tolerant today.
Theodore V. Wells, Jr., Partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP:
Why did you join the “Selma for Students” campaign?
The movie Selma portrays one of the most important movements in U.S. history — the efforts of African Americans to secure their right to vote. It is critically important for African American students to know the sacrifices made by ordinary people to secure our right to vote.
What impact do you hope Selma will have on youth today?
Hopefully with this knowledge, these students will understand the importance of the right to vote. The right of minorities to vote continues to be under attack even today as represented by efforts of conservative groups to enact legislation making it harder for minorities to vote, and sadly in 2014 the U.S. Supreme Court overruled an important part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The battle to protect our voting rights is ongoing and we need to educate African American youth about the history of the voting rights movement and the need to protect their precious rights going forward.