March 7th will mark the day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Hosea Williams, and James Bevel led the marches from Selma to Montgomery, in an effort to gain voting rights during the Civil Rights Movement. The fifty-four mile march from Selma to Montgomery took five days. This Saturday, President Obama will give a speech to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march. The ceremony will also feature performances by T.I., Young Breezy, Bigg Robb, We are Toonz, the Impressions, and Toia Jones (The Voice). Some of the people who are expected to attend the ceremony include former President George W. Bush, Bono (U2), Danny Glover, Kirk Franklin, Lady Tramaine Hawkins, and the cast from the movie Selma.
The Selma film was directed by Ava DuVernay, and it starred Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo, and Tim Roth. The film received a limited theater release last year, and it was rereleased in theaters on January 9th. Selma was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards this year. The film’s nominations include Best Motion Picture (Golden Globes and Academy Awards), Best Director (Golden Globes), Best Actor (Golden Globes), and Best Original Song (Golden Globes and Academy Awards). Selma won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards for John Legend and Common‘s “Glory” song.
Both Legend and Common gave compelling acceptance speeches, in order to bring awareness to social injustices regarding African Americans in this country. One of the issues Common addressed during his Golden Globes’ speech was police brutality. The rapper stated that being a part of the Selma film had awakened his humanity. Legend’s Academy Awards’ speech focused on the incarceration of African American men. “We live in the most incarcerated country in the world. There are more black men under correctional control today than there were under slavery in 1850,” the R&B singer stated. In an interview last year, Legend explained that “Glory” was carefully crafted, in order to capture the mood of the Civil Rights Movement and address issues that are affecting the nation today.
FDRMX Eyes: G.O.A.T. has released their music video entitled “Dead Thing.” The band is comprised of five members, including frontwoman Fane Jerry.
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