“I’m really pleased that, in a short window, a core of African-American leaders stepped up to help make this possible,” said the Rev. Starsky Wilson, president of the Deaconess Foundation and co-chair of the Ferguson Commission.
What they made possible was for up to 6,250 St. Louis-area teens to see “Selma” at participating theaters as part of the national SELMA Education Project.
Beginning Friday, January 16, students in the 7th, 8th or 9th grade were able to show their student ID or report card at the box office of any participating theater to receive free tickets while they last. Participating theaters in the St. Louis area are AMC Creve Coeur 12 (Creve Coeur), Moolah Theatre and Lounge (St. Louis), Regal St. Louis Stadium 18 & IMAX (Hazelwood) and Wehrenberg O’Fallon 15 Cine (O’Fallon, IL).
This intellectually nourishing treat for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday was provided by the Deaconess Foundation, partnering with Ford Foundation, the United Way of Greater St. Louis, the St. Louis American Foundation and a group of African-American business and civic leaders: Michael Holmes, Johnny Furr Jr., Eric Rhone, John Moten III, Lannis Hall, MD and Don Calloway.
“Our first notification of the project was on last Sunday, and by Friday we had raised enough to make this available to students,” Wilson said. “I think it speaks to the philanthropic nature and deep commitment of African-American leaders in St. Louis.”
The national initiative was launched in New York City and quickly expanded to 23 cities. To date, nearly $2 million has been raised to educate more than 278,000 students in partnership with Paramount Pictures. Deaconess is coordinating local fundraising efforts.
Wilson, who operates at a national level on the foundation scene, said the idea started at a New Year’s Eve party hosted by Ken Chenaut, the CEO and chairman of American Express, and attended by other African-American power players. Darren Walker, the African-American CEO at the Ford Foundation, was a driving force, as were William Lewis (co-chair of Lazard, where Vernon Jordan is partner and founder) and former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr.
Wilson knows what an intense viewing experience awaits these youth, though the Deaconess exec saw the film under unusually emotional conditions.
“I first saw ‘Selma’ at a pre-screening for activists in Ferguson on the day of the Eric Garner verdict,” Wilson said. “Dream Hampton and Common came in and did a private screening, and our experience watching it together was powerful and painful. It was during that screening we learned the news of the Eric Garner no true bill. By the end of the movie, people were already organizing demonstrations to go to the Justice Center and federal court house.”
Of course, the New York police officers who killed Eric Garner in a chokehold were not indicted of any crime, a decision announced on December 3.
“That moment for me reaffirmed the connection between what we see in ‘Selma’ and developments in activism on the ground here,” Wilson said.
Directed by Ava DuVernay, “Selma” chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.
Starsky said watching the film has transformational potential for the young students who will see it through this philanthropic partnership.
“We believe this experience will nurture civic engagement among young people,” Wilson said, “and give them hope that systemic change is possible through cooperative, intentional, and well-planned efforts.”
For more information about the program, group sales or other participating cities, visit www.SelmaMovie.com/studenttickets.
