“We Shall Overcome…” Behind the Scenes at SELMA Movie Premiere With AQHA Competitor Tracie Plummer

By: Brittany Bevis

Today, on the third Monday of January, we honor the life and mission of a man who has become a symbol for equality, social change, and peaceful protest around the globe, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Appropriately timed with this holiday was the recent release of the major motion picture, Selma, a film that takes viewers back to 1965 and the horror of “Bloody Sunday” and subsequent marches led by King and other civil rights activists on the road from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

Filming for the American historical drama, directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb, took place in Atlanta, GA., Montgomery, and Selma. When Hollywood rolled into Alabama for the January 2015 movie premiere, residents like AQHA competitor Tracie Plummer had the incredible opportunity to rub elbows with celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Common, John Legend, and the actor who played King, David Oleyowo.

The Alabama-based premiere took place at the Selma Walton Theater, just a few blocks away from the Edmund Pettus bridge, the actual site of Bloody Sunday. Back in March 7th, 1965, nearly 600 marchers assembled in Selma to lead the way for equal voting rights on a journey to the state capitol in Montgomery.

When they attempted to cross the bridge, protestors found the way blocked by Alabama State Troopers and local police. The news footage that aired on televisions around the country later that day showed the brutal sight of teargas bombs and non-violent protestors being beaten with billy clubs. More than 50 people were hospitalized (BlackPast, 2015).

Nearly 50 years later, a different group gathered on the bridge to witness recording artists, Common and John Legend, perform songs like “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and the Golden Globe winner for Best Original Song that appeared in the movie Selma, “Glory.” Click here to watch a YouTube video of Common and John Legend performing “Glory” on the bridge.

The film was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture- Drama, Best Director, and Best Actor. The film has been nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards that will take place in February.

Also in attendance at the premiere was one of the film’s producers and supporting actors, Oprah Winfrey, who played the 54-year-old Annie Lee Cooper, a woman who attempts to register to vote multiple times but is denied by the sheriff.

In light of a recent resurgence in the conversation about human rights across the United States, many hope the release of a film like Selma will spread hope, help to promote change, and honor King’s message about the right to protest… peacefully.

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Special thanks goes to Tracie Plummer for giving our EquineChronicle.com readers a behind-the-scenes look at the movie premiere of Selma with her wonderful snapshots!