MLK footage draws national attention

Published 12:00 am Thursday, March 3, 2005

When now- retired teacher Lawrence Huggins purchased his Keystone Vista camera over 40 years ago, his intent was to capture on film family outings and activities to be looked back on and enjoyed for years to come.

He had no idea his hobby would lead him to become the owner of the only known color footage of Selma’s historic Civil Rights moments.

“They called it ‘Martin Luther King: The Forgotten Footage,’ but it was never forgotten,” said Huggins, referring to a recent special aired last week by the Birmingham NBC affiliate WTVM Channel 13. “I knew I had it and where it was.”

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Huggins’ film, though a little grainy, clearly shows the faces of people as they prepare to join the March 7, 1965, “Bloody Sunday” march and of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other Civil Rights leaders during a mass meeting before the Selma-to-Montgomery march.

“The film shows the marchers getting final instructions,” Huggins said. “You can see their mood, demeanor, and resolve to gain the right to vote.”

The special, aired in Birmingham on Feb. 22 and Feb. 26, was picked up by the national network and broadcast across the country.

“I’m getting phone calls from across America,” Huggins said. “Long lost relatives are coming out.”

Other cable networks, including the History Channel, have been calling Huggins requesting to use the footage.

“My wife and I haven’t committed to anybody,” Huggins said. “We want to limit the film’s use to education and historical programs.”

Huggins said he first introduced his film to the public at a Living History exhibit at the Voting Rights Museum and Institute four years ago.

Bill Gill, an NBC13 cameraman who has known Huggins for three years, also used part of the footage in a documentary about the Movement’s forgotten foot soldiers.

“I decided to show the footage again in honor of the 40th anniversary of the march,” Huggins said. “This film revels a part of American History and it helps this little town. I wanted to get the history out, tell the story and tell it accurately.”

The camera Huggins used to film the march and mass meeting, a small, silver hand-held device with a crank on the side, is just one of a larger collection of camcorders and cameras Huggins has used over the years.

“I’ve always had a camera.” Huggins said. “I even leave one in the car sometimes.”

Huggins, who recently converted the 8mm film to digital, said he takes comfort in knowing he has been able to preserve a piece of history.

“I can always show it to my grandsons so they can know their heritage,” Huggins said.