Recording Shows Relationship Between MLK and LBJ Wasn't as Portrayed in 'Selma'
Movie

Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library's website shares a phone call recording between the president and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1965.

AceShowbiz - The critically-acclaimed "Selma" is placed second at the weekend box office and won Best Original song at the 2015 Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, January 11. However, the movie is also hit with criticism that their portrayal of relationship between President Lyndon Baines Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is inaccurate.

Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library's website has shared a phone recording between the president and King, showing that the two figures' relationship back then was better than what the movie suggested. "In telling the story, the film portrays the relationship between Dr. King and President Johnson, suggesting that the two men were largely at odds over the effort in Selma. In fact, Dr. King and President Johnson were in accord over the need for voting rights," said the site.

One phone recording posted on the site was taken in 1965. During the conversation, the president encouraged King to bring attention to voting oppression so that Americans would demand an end to the injustice. "If you could find the worst condition that you run into, and get it on the radio and get it on television, get it every place you can," Johnson said. "Pretty soon the fellow that didn't do anything but follow, drive a tractor, he'll say, 'Well that's not right. That's not fair.' "

"Selma" depicts the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. led by King to fight for voting rights. David Oyelowo plays King, while Tom Wilkinson plays Johnson in the movie. In late December, director Ava DuVernay responded to criticism over the inaccuracy, tweeting that people "should interrogate history."

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