In Lesson 2 we will talk more about Martin Luther King,one of the most influential and inspirational African-American leaders in history.

On March 7, 1965, a civil rights march, planned from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama's capital, turned violent as police with nightsticks and tear gas met the demonstrators as they tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. 

King was not in the march, however, the attack was televised showing horrifying images of marchers being bloodied and severely injured. Seventeen demonstrators were hospitalized in a day that would be called "Bloody Sunday." 

On March 9, 1965, a procession of 2,500 marchers, both black and white, set out once again to cross the Pettus Bridge and confronted barricades and state troopers. Instead of forcing a confrontation, King led his followers to kneel in prayer and they then turned back.

On March 21, approximately 2,000 people began a march from Selma to Montgomery, the state capitol. On March 25, the number of marchers, which had grown to an estimated 25,000, gathered in front of the state capitol where King delivered a televised speech. Five months after the historic peaceful protest, President Johnson signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act. 

(https://www.biography.com/activist/martin-luther-king-jr)

If you are interested and have some free time, you can watch 'Selma' a 2014 historical drama film based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches (available on Netflix). Here you can watch the film's official trailer.

"Glory" is a song written and performed by American rapper Common and American singer John Legend (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUZOKvYcx_o). The song was released as the theme song from the 2014 film Selma.

You are asked to do a listening exercise by clicking on 'Glory' exercise below.

Enjoy the song but keep in mind a quotation by Pete Seeger, a folk musician: “One of the purposes of music is to help you forget your troubles; another, help you learn from your troubles (some do), and, some will help you do something about your troubles.”

Last but not least, you can read an excerpt from David Bottom's short story "The Poetry of Bridges" where he writes about his hometown, Atlanta, a big city of the American South related to segregation and racism. Have things changed since the 1960s? Hm...Let's find out...