Lt. Governor Guadagno Celebrates Black History Month with Student Screening of Selma

Press Release

Celebrating the historical and cultural significance of Black History Month, Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno today hosted students from New Brunswick High School for a free screening of Selma at the AMC Loews New Brunswick 18 Theater.

"Together, as part of our Black History Month celebration, we watched a movie that, I hope, reminds our students that we need to feel empowered to stand up for the right reasons," said Lt. Governor Guadagno. "If they can look out for one another as young Americans, if they can see one another as people, then they will have learned the greatest lesson of Dr. King and of Selma."

Directed by Ava DuVernay, Selma chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965 when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The historic 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.

"We wanted to bring our peer leaders, AP History students and others from the school to continue learning about empowerment through the legacy of Dr. King and others whose lives have inspired us," said William Gonzalez, Vice Principal of New Brunswick High School. "It emphasizes the courage, determination and character development that we have discussed, showing that our students should stand up for what is right and that they don't have to do it alone."

Lt. Governor Guadagno was joined by, among others, Reverend John Taylor, Pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Trenton, and representatives from the New Jersey Department of Education, the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission.

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