Selma: The Forgotten Anniversary

Recently, the 50th anniversary of the march to Selma, Alabama was recognized by the nation. Or, was supposed to be. Both Bloody Sunday and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were celebrated, March 5 through the ninth. A handful of American citizens and people from different countries assembled to reflect on the remarkable, yet tragic events that happened this month, 50 years ago. President Barack Obama was also in attendance to speak to the residents and tourists of Selma.
Although the actual event was surrounded by a positive atmosphere, it also brought a slight air of confusion. The event of Bloody Sunday caused the U.S. to provide “equality”, along with the creation of the amendments, the city of Selma itself still fails to see equality in the socioeconomic boundaries that isolates them from other cities. Although the event commemorating the events at Selma 50 years ago garnered the attention of the President of the United States, it was not heavily advocated through mass media. Entertainment networks provided no coverage of the event, or advertised for it at all.
I was soon puzzled by an array of questions soon after the weekend ended. Why do we as a race and ethnicity continually proceed to ignore and water down the milestones and foundations that reflect the hardships our forefathers went against and how far we have come as a people? It is hard to see so many individuals complacent with the fact that there is injustice that runs rampant in America; a place where an individual would think he would be safe from most dangers and terrors affecting other countries. I feel if we ever seek an authentic chance at changing the status quo that we face in this country, we must first take ourselves seriously. We are always seen as entertainers, musicians and performers, yet we are more than just microphones and instruments. We are the instruments of a silenced truth that cannot be dampened any longer. We as a community and an ethnicity have a responsibility to create our own content and materials before we proceed to interact with the rest of the world. In order for us to help others, we must first establish ourselves and our own people.
In order for this generation to continue to maintain and improve, we have to accept the keys of responsibility so that we can place ourselves in a position to grow, prosper and repeat. Because if we do not show that we care for ourselves, who else will?