Grateful. The first feeling to overcome me as I stand there on the Edmund Pettus Bridge arm and arm with the likes of Oprah, Common, John Legend, David Oyelomo, and so many more. I had been a part of history. I had participated in bringing the realities of "Bloody Sunday" to the big screen. It was out there for people to see, for them to try to understand what it means; what it has meant to be African American in this country, in our country. There were other feelings too, anxiety, anger, fear, I could go on and on. I imagined Martin with his wife Coretta, who he was supposed to protect, out there, exposed to all of that hate. He must've been afraid of what that moment could mean for their children. What if they were killed? Yet, they were there with so many others, arm in arm, step by step, directly toward the enemy, they moved. The feeling was still here, embedded in our souls, as if we were back in 1965. The "push" was evident. I will not stop, I must not stop. My children, my grandchildren will not live in peace if I'm not on this bridge in this moment. It is 50 years later and Ferguson is happening, people are marching all over the world screaming "Black Lives Matter!" Yes, they do! I am not going to settle for mediocrity and hate so long as there is breath in my body! I will fight for my quality of life and for the women that I have been charged with helping. I am a black woman, daughter, mother, friend, entrepreneur, actress, and so much more. I am not concerned if that makes another person nervous or afraid, I am here and I am not going away. There will always be times of darkness, times when life seems unbearable. In those times, I pause, I take a deep breath, and I am clear. I must search for my light, after all, Dr. Martin Luther King said, "Only in darkness can you see the stars." I see them Reverend. Thank you.
Selma