Reel America: People Who Shape a Nation - AV Club

The Fight for Voting Rights About the Series: 2026 marks the United States’ semiquincentennial – its 250th birthday! Join us to celebrate the big birthday all year long with a monthly film selection showing the people from the past and present that had a hand in creating these United States. Get a monthly cinematic glimpse of what America looks like! About the Films: • Legacy of a Dream, 1974, 29 mins. This compilation film narrated by actor James Earl Jones presents newsreel and videotape footage showing the events that secured the vote for American blacks and ultimately led to the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. Includes a sketch of King's career and statements by Coretta King and Andrew Young on voter registration and the need for blacks to be informed on exercising their right to vote. • Bridge to Freedom from the TV series Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954–1965. Air Date: 1987, 55 mins. This is the final episode in the 1987 original PBS series Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years 1954–1965. It examines the effort to restore voting rights in Selma, Alabama during the Selma to Montgomery marches. About the Film Collection The 16mm film collection…