we ll primarily be working on voter registration, various forms of political education and then what we call freedom schools. reporter: one of these young leaders was bob moses of the student nonviolent coordinating committee sncc. sncc was thinking about how to get their point of view in front of the press. we understood that it didn t matter that black people got killed. we saw that what attracted the media to the whole campaign was the influx of stanford and yale. we have been invited, and we re simply helping people. the students representing the elite structures of the country. i really believe in these things that may sound idealistic, the constitution, the bill of rights, and i think it s important for everybody to have these. it was clear at the orientation that the media were
reporter: before the night was over, the violence had claimed two lives. one was a french journalist named paul guihard. he had a bright red beard and red hair. probably part of the reason that he died is because he was clearly identified as a member of the press. his body was found over near behind a women s dormitory, and he s been shot at close range. unsolved to this very day. reporter: by the next morning, the riot was quelled. under heavy guard, james meredith was finally allowed to register and attend class at the university of mississippi. he remained enrolled under the protection of u.s. marshals until he completed his coursework the following year, becoming the university s first black graduate. mississippi mood hope and fear.
point where we had been beaten. it was one of the finest hours for people to respond the way they responded. without television, the civil rights movement would have been like a bird without wings. that s pretty amazing, the convergence of a media phenomenon and a mature movement coming together to shape politics. reporter: like birmingham before it, the brutality at selma shocked the nation, compelling washington to respond ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states. reporter: this time with the voting rights act of 1965. what happens in selma or in cincinnati is a matter of legitimate concern to every american. this is one nation. reporter: on march 7th, 2015,
and when we have an emergency situation we are going to be much more skilled and prepared to mitigate that emergency for all concerned. the things we do every single day that puts ourselves in harm s way, and to have a partner that is so skilled i cod dn t ask for better partner. in gone. reporter: nearly every american heard about the little rock nine. the story gave a boost to the movement, and the movement gave a boost to the fledgling industry of television news.
maybe at the moment nobody really appreciated the irony, but you re watching a movie about the trial of nazi war criminals. suddenly, the tv switches to innocent unarmed americans being mercilessly beaten on live television. that s a moment that will forever be known as bloody sunday. this airs on sunday night, march 7th. tuesday morning, at 9:00, there are over a thousand people from as far away as hawaii. before expedia, they mobilized instantly. i ve come to selma to put my body where my heart is, to make sure that the negro people recognize that there are white people in the north that are with them in their fight. reporter: the shockwaves from selma reverberated around the world. dr. king made an appeal for religious leaders to come to selma. ministers, priests, rabbis and nuns came and walked across the bridge to the same