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10 Things I Learned from Screening 'Selma'

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - I grew up in Alabama and was there during the Birmingham bombing and the march from Selma to the capital, Montgomery. My father marched with Dr. King and it is a period of history I lived through as a child and have read a great deal about.

I saw "Selma," was not expecting a documentary, just a drama and am shocked people of my age seemingly know so little about this civil rights era. Nonetheless, here are 10 things I learned from screening "Selma":

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Ava DuVernay (credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

10. Director, Ava Duvernay, is the first African American female to be nominated for a Golden Globe.

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SELMA - 'Application' Clip: Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King by patheuk on YouTube

 
9. My father was asked to name all the capitals the first time he registered to vote in Alabama.

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(L-R) Mahalia Jackson & Ledisi (credit: Getty Images)

8. Ledisi and Mahalia Jackson are both in the production through song.

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Glory (From the Motion Picture "Selma") - Common & John Legend by Of Sounds and Visions on YouTube

7. Ferguson Mentioned In Lyrics
John Legend and Common, who also acts in the film, referenced Ferguson in a song in the film.

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Oprah Winfrey in "Selma" (credit: Paramount Pictures)

6. The use of the FBI logs as graphics in the film were illuminating and brilliant.

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Alabama Governor George C. Wallace & President Lyndon Johnson (credit: Getty Images)

5. President Johnson & Governor Wallace
There was little difference in terms of culpability between President Lyndon Johnson and Alabama Governor George C. Wallace.

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Harry Belafonte & Sammy Davis Jr. (credit: Getty Images)

4. Two Celebrities Walked
Sammy Davis Jr. & Harry Belafonte were but two celebrities participating in the walk as seen in archival footage in the film.

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Rev. Ralph Abernathy & Bayard Rustin (credit: Getty Images)

3. The actors playing Rev. Ralph Abernathy and Bayard Rustin were superb.

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Martin Luther King (credit: Keystone/Getty Images)

2. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Smoked Cigarettes
"I had no idea!"

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Brad Pitt (credit: Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)

1. Brad Pitt Is An Executive Producer
 

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