Local leader was part of national movement

The Oscar-nominated movie “Selma” was released during a year in which Americans are feeling the continued presence of racial inequality, specifically violence against black citizens by police. The violence captured in videos and the “Black Lives Matter” movement echo the violent weeks, depicted in the film, when Martin Luther King, Jr., led a protest calling for black voting rights in a notoriously racist  Alabama county. Half a century later, local activist Phil Lawson relived memories of that march as he watched the film. “Watching some of the scenes was like I was living the experience all over again. There was never any doubt; I had to go to Selma. I didn’t have any choice.” Read more on Richmond Pulse.