Lower Keys chapter of the League of Women Voters to host special screening of “Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot”

Lower Keys chapter of the League of Women Voters to host special screening of “Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot”

KEY WEST – The Lower Keys chapter of the League of Women Voters will host a special screening Oct. 19 of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s documentary “Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot,” the story of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march.

The film’s screening is the keynote presentation at the league’s Civics Lesson, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 19, at One Island Family, 801 Georgia St., Key West. The Civics Lesson, which is open to the public, will also include a review of the five state amendment initiatives and local referendums voters will see on the November ballot.

Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer, the documentary by the SPLC’s Teaching Tolerance project tells the story of the forgotten heroes of the fight for voting rights, the courageous students and teachers in Selma, Alabama, who stood up against injustice despite facing intimidation, violence and arrest.

By organizing and marching bravely, these activists achieved one of the most significant victories of the civil rights era – passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The film is a powerful reminder that each person has the ability to bring about social change.

Despite this victory, only about six in 10 eligible citizens exercised their right to vote in the 2012 presidential election. That means approximately 90 million voters did not cast ballots. Voter turnout dropped to a 72-year low in 2014. A key to increasing voter turnout is encouraging young people to vote. Research shows that when young people vote, they are more likely to vote later in life – helping to ensure a new generation of active and engaged voters.

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]