March: Book One by John Lewis
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| March Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin |
March: Book One
Authors: John Lewis, Andrew Aydin
Illustrator: Nate Powell
Format: Graphic Novel
Length: 128 pages
Publish date: August 14, 2013
“[O]ur revolt was as much against the traditional black leadership structure as it was against segregation and discrimination.”
Be sure to look for the link at the bottom of this post to see young John Lewis explaining his mission. Also, please read the last paragraph about women behind the scenes in the Civil Rights Movement.
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| John Lewis after arrest for challenging "whites only" laws photo from twitter |
He is handsome, but he is not arrogant
He is challenged, but he does not rebut
His head is high, but he is not proud
He is arrested, but he is dignified
He is loving, but he will not back down
He is a leader, but he is humble
—-Judy Gregg——
Brief synopsis:
This book, presented in the form of a graphic novel, tells the story of Congressman John Lewis BEFORE he became a Congressman. While waiting for Barack Obama’s inauguration, Mr. Lewis narrates the story of his young life. He starts with his time as a child on a farm with his family, and then quickly goes on to chronicle his work and dedication to the Civil Rights Movement taking place from February-May 1960 in Nashville Tennessee. During this time Mr. Lewis and other young black men and women stage sit-ins to challenge Nashville’s “whites-only” laws at lunch counters.
My thoughts:
You should read this book for several reasons. One, it tells an important historic story. Two, it tells the story without anger or resentment for the myopic people who opposed him and his cause. Three, it is very easy and quick to read even for reluctant readers. Mr. Lewis says his non-violent actions in 1960 were done out of love, and this love can be felt while reading his book. He never places blame, and this constant attitude is a very powerful state of mind that strengthens his target to create positive change. He says, “Fury spends itself pretty quickly when there's no fury facing it.”
He is arrested, but he is dignified
He is loving, but he will not back down
He is a leader, but he is humble
—-Judy Gregg——
Brief synopsis:
This book, presented in the form of a graphic novel, tells the story of Congressman John Lewis BEFORE he became a Congressman. While waiting for Barack Obama’s inauguration, Mr. Lewis narrates the story of his young life. He starts with his time as a child on a farm with his family, and then quickly goes on to chronicle his work and dedication to the Civil Rights Movement taking place from February-May 1960 in Nashville Tennessee. During this time Mr. Lewis and other young black men and women stage sit-ins to challenge Nashville’s “whites-only” laws at lunch counters.
My thoughts:
You should read this book for several reasons. One, it tells an important historic story. Two, it tells the story without anger or resentment for the myopic people who opposed him and his cause. Three, it is very easy and quick to read even for reluctant readers. Mr. Lewis says his non-violent actions in 1960 were done out of love, and this love can be felt while reading his book. He never places blame, and this constant attitude is a very powerful state of mind that strengthens his target to create positive change. He says, “Fury spends itself pretty quickly when there's no fury facing it.”
I like the way Mr. Lewis simply lays out the facts, however it gives quite a bit of information in a short amount of space. This invited me to do more research on the events. Also, I wanted to learn more to let it all permeate my mind.
I had a general knowledge of the non-violent activities, inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., held in my home town of Nashville. However, hearing Mr. Lewis’ story straight from him made the history “real.” Also, before reading this book, I did not not know that there was an attempt at a compromise to the “problem” of people wanting their constitutional rights at lunch counters. Furthermore, I was unaware that “the traditional black leadership structure” was willing to accept this compromise, and the black youth felt that the established black leadership was not fully supporting the cause. I researched this suggested compromise and found that the offer included both an “all white” section and a “mixed black and white” section at the lunch counters. This compromise may have represented an acceptable “baby-step” toward the goal to the black leaders, however, while Mr. Lewis respected his elder-leaders, he knew that this compromise was nothing more than a ploy to continue the status quo.
Below is a link to the actual young people training in how to react non-violently to the hate and taunting they would endure while sitting in at the lunch counters It is difficult to watch, but watch anyway.
“Fury spends itself pretty quickly when there's no fury facing it.”
A side note that is also important: The book talks about how many people stopped coming downtown to shop in Nashville during this time. I once watched a video about this in college. It was about black women who were the mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and church friends of the young men and women were to participate in the sit-ins. These women got on their phones and called white women to ask them to support their young people by taking their shopping power elsewhere during this time. Many of the white women, who were mothers themselves, agreed to keep themselves and their money away from the challenged stores in downtown Nashville. The result? Nashville leaders observed how black women use resilience, ingenuity, and surprising resources to accomplish their goals. I could not find this video on-line and I assume that it is in the archives at MTSU. However, while I searched I did enjoy reading how older black women worked to support and bring about change in the Civil Rights Movement behind the scenes.
In summary: You will not be sorry if you read this book, and It is not much much longer that a magazine article.
Like the little poem.
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