Features: DVD, English
The civil rights movement in the United States is usually understood in terms of its leadership, such as in the case of Martin Luther King, Jr., or of its dramatic events, such as the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. But often the catalysts for progress were people who fought from within a larger group or performed individual, and seemingly small, acts of heroism. Some were victims who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but whose fate stirred the nation. These are some of those stories.
Editor's Note
World Almanac explores the stories of some of the lesser-known heroes of the American Civil Rights movement. Many of the triumphant moments in the progress of civil rights were catalyzed by the actions of seemingly insignificant individuals, and, often, their tragedies. This documentary seeks to make those tragedies known, and to commemorate the sacrifices made by those against whom they were perpetrated; Emmett Till, Medgar Evers, and the Birmingham Four are all remembered here. In addition, more unfamiliar stories are heard, such as that of Jimmy Lee Jackson. A hospital worker participating in a voting rights protest, Jackson attempted to help his mother and grandfather when they were attacked by police, an act which resulted in his death when another officer shot him in the stomach. Viola Liuzzo was another protester who was shot, this time by a Ku Klux Klan member who was angered by the fact that she was a white woman driving in a car with a black man. Reverend James Reeb was also a white participant in the civile rights movement who died for the cause during a march in Boston. All of these deaths led to the enfranchisement of African Americans, but will continue to serve as a reminder to society of what it is capable of, what it has come from, and in which directions it needs to progress; this World Almanac documentary serves as a record and testament to this historical context.
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