Pomona Students to Attend Free Screening of 'Selma,' 16th Annual Black College Expo

Saturday, Jan. 31, 350 Pomona Unified School District eighth- through 12th-grade students will attend a private screening of the Academy Award-nominated movie “Selma,” followed by the 16th Annual Black College Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Thanks to the generosity of African American business leaders in Los Angeles County and a unique partnership with Paramount Pictures, the Selma for Students movement is providing Pomona students with the opportunity to view “Selma,” which presents a vivid portrayal of a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.

“Selma” is the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights leaders in their heroic campaign to secure equal voting rights despite violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories of the civil rights movement.

A group of 27 African American business executives in New York City decided to take advantage of the special teaching moment brought about by the film’s release and purchased tickets for more than 75,000 seventh- through ninth-grade students. The overwhelming success of these initial free screenings caused the Selma for Students initiative to expand across the nation as other African American business leaders in major cities organized similar programs. As a result, more than $2 million has been raised and more than 300,000 students will have a chance to see “Selma” for free.

“We all immediately understood the importance of having students see this powerful film about an epic chapter in American history. ‘Selma’ is a story of American heroes who risked their lives for justice. The opportunity to provide for our young people a window into history was simply too important to miss,” said Deborah Martin Chase, CEO of Martin Chase Productions in Los Angeles. “We are all proud to support Pomona students in seeing this important movie.”

T. Warren Jackson, Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer of DirecTV added, “It’s important that the civil rights struggle depicted in ‘Selma’ reach as many young people as possible so that the enduring lessons of the movement can be harnessed to inspire them to transform their lives and communities.”

Stephanie Baker, Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services, Pomona Unified School District and retired PUSD Deputy Superintendent Emmett Terrell seized upon the generosity of business leaders by working with Paramount Studios and Regal Entertainment to combine the movie screening in the morning with the National College Resources Foundation’s 16th Annual Black College Expo held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“It’s going to be a full and fruitful day for our students,” Baker said. “After studying a curriculum led by Ali Hangan and other Pomona teachers, students will become fully aware of the challenges faced by the civil rights movement and will better appreciate the historical significance of this turning point in American history.”

Thanks to the generosity of America’s African American business leaders, Paramount Pictures, the Regal Entertainment Group, LA Live Stadium 14, and the National College Resources Foundation, Pomona’s students are able to reap the benefits of the past and move on to new dreams in the future.

“It is because of the successes of the civil rights movement that Pomona students are now able to explore these new opportunities,” Terrell said.