-By Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Paydin
-Art by Nate Powell
The MARCH trilogy series leads up to the 1965 Civil Rights March (for voting rights) across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. I wonder sometimes what goes through the mind of a person when leading a major mission. My favorite part about this book is that the leaders of this march has given me that satisfaction. They have let us in on their thoughts, emotions and influences. They have given us an inside scoop.
Congressman John Lewis is first introduced in MARCH Book One with an opening scene that is subtle yet so striking. I just have to tell you this one exact scenario.
Picture the big day of the March with hundreds of people ‘walking for one of the major movements in American history’. As they start off for the march, Lewis is asked, “can you swim?” Lewis’ answer was, “NO.” His marching partner throws back at him, “well, neither can I — but we might have to.”
I read that and reality sank in. They’re walking across a bridge, a structure built over a large body of water. In this moment and regardless to their mission at-hand is the thought that maybe we could fall into the water underneath this bridge, or worse, be pushed in the water. Their superpower was to go on marching anyway.
That one scene had put this whole movement into perspective for me. I certainly see Lewis and his partners as hero figures. But this was a moment that connected me to the humanness of these leaders. I appreciate having that connection. It is a reminder that these figures are human beings with regular feelings and normal realities. Lewis and his foot soldiers power through the threats they face in order to save someone else (or a generation) from the threat of injustice.
To be continued next Wednesday – 12:30.
Continued Review Wednesday – 12:30. Come back to check it out.
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