At times, history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man’s unending search for freedom.

President Lyndon B. Johnson said those words as he proposed the Voting Right Act of 1965 to Congress, referring to what happened a week before on Bloody Sunday.

I had the chance to see the first screening of “Selma” Friday afternoon at the Walton Theater, steps away from the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where Alabama State Troopers and other law enforcement attacked civil rights demonstrators on March 7, 1965.

It’s a powerful film — the kind that gets in your head and stays there a while. Though there are light-hearted moments, the movie is heavy on drama and on the heart. I could hear several people crying at times as they witnessed a recreation of what happened 50 years ago.

As I walked the three blocks back to the Times-Journal office, I tried to grasp how something that happened steps away from where I work every day truly impacted the world.

It must have been a strange feeling for people like sisters Malinda Smith and Lillie Foster, who lived in Selma during the Civil Rights Era and were at Bloody Sunday. I’ve been able to speak with several marchers who have seen the film. Most of them have said that while “Selma” comes as close as possible, nothing will match the vivid memories etched in their minds from that time.

Several people have questioned how historical accurate “Selma” is, particularly concerning its portrayal of the relationship between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Johnson. It’s an issue we reported on in the Times-Journal.

The story ended up being one of our most read ever, with people viewing the story online from across the world.

However, the film isn’t a documentary. “Selma” certainly could have stayed truer to history in a few places, but that’s picking apart a film about a message that is more powerful than any one or two people.

“Selma” is about regular people standing together for what is right and making a difference in world.

As we get closer to the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the Times-Journal staff is working on chronicling as many of these stories as possible. We want to hear from people who were in Selma in 1965 and hear what they remember from the time.

Anyone who would like to contribute to this project, please contact me as soon as possible.  My direct phone line is (334) 410-1730, and my email address is Justin.averette@selmatimesjournal.com.