Honoring Black History: Local historic theatre to show “Selma” for free this weekend

Seth Kaplan
·2 min read

YORK, Pa. (WHTM) — A local, historic theatre in York is showing the acclaimed movie “Selma” for free this weekend, and the screening isn’t the only local tie to the film.

“We have a woman named Lois Lambert Reeves, who is a William Penn Senior High School graduate in the class of 1935, who as a teenager was fighting for the right to vote right here in York, Pennsylvania,” Samantha Dorm, co-founder of the Friends of Lebanon Cemetery said. “In the 1960s, she’s in Tuskegee, Alabama, still fighting for the right to vote. Mrs. Reeves was instrumental in the planning for the marches that took place in Selma, Alabama, in the 1960s.”

But wait, didn’t women already have the right to vote?

“That right was given in 1920, primarily for individuals who didn’t look like me,’ Dorm said.

In other words, African American women.

“Consistently, as far as the right to vote for Black women or women of color did not happen until the civil rights movement movement in the 1960s. So, yes, we had women’s suffrage 1920, but particularly in the South, there was still a great deal of resistance to allowing people to vote,” Dorm said.

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Dorm picked “Selma” as the firm for this weekend at the Appell Center’s Black History Money Film Series.

According to the Center’s website, the free, four-part series features films selected by community members each of which portrays the struggles, triumphs, and challenges of historical figures during a significant time period.

Selma was the site of key civil rights marches. Dorm explained how a lot of places continued preventing people like Lois Lambert Reeves from voting long after they were theoretically allowed to vote.

Lois Lambert Reeves, a 1935 William Penn Senior High School graduate, was a key part of planning civil rights marches that took place in Selma, Alabama, in the 1960s.
Lois Lambert Reeves, a 1935 William Penn Senior High School graduate, was a key part of planning civil rights marches that took place in Selma, Alabama, in the 1960s.

“She is one of the federal witnesses in the 1961 court case with the United States v.s. Alabama, where she was denied the opportunity to register to vote, in part because they said she lacked education. She held three degrees at that time,” Dorm said.

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“Selma” Runs this Sunday, February 18 at 3 p.m. at the Appell Center in Downtown York. Dorm will be speaking live about the film and about Lois Lambert Reeves. The event is free, but organizers are asking people to register to make sure they have enough seats.

The fourth and final installment of the series will feature the film “A Man Called Adam.” That screening will be on Friday, February 23.

To learn more about the screenings, or to register, head to the Appell Center’s website.

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