God bless you this morning. We thought we would be arrested and jailed, but we were beaten, tear gassed, bullwhipped, trampled by horses. It chronicles Lewis activities in the civil rights movement but as much is a poetic proponent for non-violent change activity. Thank you so much. In less than 24 hours, there were demonstration in more than 80 cities in America, at the White House, at the Department of Justice. These are the little lessons that the book tries to talk about -- speak about. MS. DIANE REHMCongressman Lewis joins me in the studio. They were hit, disparaged with words, and imprisoned. In the backpack I had toothpaste and toothbrush. For beginners Youll find this to be a good primer if youre a learner with little or no prior experience/knowledge. Each of us must answer those questions according to the dictates of our conscience and the principles of our faith. LEWISMore than three million people showed up at the polls at the last national election, and they were turned away. However, he gifted all the money for the civil rights cause.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'goodbooksummary_com-leader-2','ezslot_5',116,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-goodbooksummary_com-leader-2-0'); With this altruistic gift, King highlighted the movements fundamental message of inclusion and love for everybody. Let's go to Indianapolis. But if people want to go out and organize a third party -- a third, fourth, they have the right to do it. Thank you. July 27, 2020. But we shouldn't be going around putting people down because of their age, race, class. It is not astonishing to know that struggle is extremely challenging. In Across That Bridge, Congressman John Lewis draws from his experience as a prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement to offer timeless wisdom, poignant recollections, and powerful principles for anyone interested in challenging injustices and inspiring real change toward a freer, more peaceful society. What we say here about books applies to all formats we cover. That's not good for our society. After reading this, Civil Rights leader and Congressman John Lewis is one of my new heroes. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Risk-free: no credit card is required. LEWISDiane, what I try to suggest that in these times, in these days that we live, something is going wrong in our society. So many gave so much that seems to have been forgotten. And you have to use that vote. Till the 1960s, to prevent African Americans from using their rights, the government of the Alabama State and the Ku Klux Klan tried every way they could. This opening serves as a testament for where the March trilogy is headed. And that juxtaposition seemed to be very powerful and I wanted to get the congressman's reaction to that. I have tremendous respect for John Lewis as a man of courage, principle, and action so it pains me to give him a mediocre rating. I would take that a step further and say that every voting individual should read this book. The most inspiring book I read in 2013 was Across that Bridge: Life Lessons and A Vision for Change, by Congressman and Civil Rights legend, John Lewis. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. After many years as an activist and organizer, John Lewis served in the House of Representatives from 1987-2020. I just have this strange feeling -- and one reason for writing this book "Across That Bridge" is to say to this generation of young people and people not so young that you too can be out there. And the story of Koinonia Farm is an untold story. In Across That Bridge, Congressman John Lewis draws from his experience as a prominent leader of the civil rights movement to offer timeless wisdom, poignant recollections, and powerful principles for anyone interested in challenging injustices and inspiring real change toward a freer, more peaceful society. You go into the large urban centers. For the past year,Carole Martinand I have been co-facilitating a network leadership program supported by the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund called theCommunity Practitioners Network(CPN). He was going down the wrong path and he recognized that. With vivid details and a front-row perspective, Lewis, who died July 18, 2020, provides more than a memoir about the early civil rights movement and its leaders. There is definitely a Christian bent here, unsurprising for a man who studied to be a preacher, and he often makes an effort to extend into broader ideas of faith. So if two men or two women fall in love and want to get married, they should be able to do just that. A very uplifting book. LEWISIt was 600 people walking in twos armed only with a dream. The casket of Rep. John Lewis moves over the Edmund Pettus Bridge by horse drawn carriage during a memorial service for Lewis in Selma, Ala., on July 26, 2020. Watch on YouTube. The overall goal of CPN is to further develop a Our first son was born on Saturday, he came two months early and he is AMAZING. Reprinted here by permission of Knopf. With an engaged electorate once again confronting questions of social inequality, there's no better time to revisit the lessons of the '60s and no better leader to learn from than Congressman John Lewis. This ignorance comes from the thought that the world differs for different races. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. They persisted so patiently to get their rights that the abuse and brutality of police became ridiculous. LEWISWell, I was surprised at the statement and discussion of Mayor Booker. LEWISI take a position similar to a position that Martin Luther King, Jr. took many, many years ago, that races don't fall in love and get married. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people wont feel insecure around you. Did you have a belief that you know it is true within all of your veins? You say there is a unique hostility in these times that almost seems worse to me than what we experienced in the 1960s. At its worst, it resembles an extended campaign speech: Some people have told me that I am a rare bird in the blue sky of dreamers despite every attempt to keep me down, I have not been shaken. In between these extremes is the advice of a wise uncle who has earned the right to say his peace. Sylvie shocked her mother by telling her that she did not love her fianc, leading to tension between the two and a cascade of difficult events. So for young people, seniors, it's hard -- it'll be difficult. John Robert Lewis was the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 5th congressional district, serving since 1987 and was the dean of the Georgia congressional delegation. I learned so much about the Civil Rights movement, and what's more, the lessons he provides are timely today for the desire for change we see percolating in our society. Thursday, Feb 23 2023In 2014 Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel wrote in The Atlantic that he planned to refuse medical treatment after age 75. Required fields are marked *. While some of this felt just like what you'd expect (and have probably heard before) there were many moments where I found new insight, specifically when it came to the mindset of the activists in the civil rights movement. I'm going to continue to speak about the way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolence. Furthermore, she currently started to study Activist Theory on Racial Integration. *getAbstract is summarizing much more than books. For many people, that review would be helpful, but since I teach US history, a lot of that information was not new to me. Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooksif(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'goodbooksummary_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_2',119,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-goodbooksummary_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); https://goodbooksummary.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Across+That+Bridge+by+John+Lewis+Book+Summary+-+Review.pdf, https://goodbooksummary.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Across+That+Bridge+by+John+Lewis+Book+Summary+-+Review.epub, I'm a software engineer. We have within us the ability to affect change for the better and to live in truth. It is a disgrace and we need to just stop it, just stop it. She was stating that she had a strength that nobody under no circumstance, even if it is confinement or imprisonment, can clear it off. Published in 1993, it is narrated by Sylvie Castelli, who remembers a time when she went on a walk with her mother near the Parisian Place de la Concorde. REHMAnd I'm so happy to have you here. He decided to learn the ways to assist people who are made resentful by hate. So this country is a country of immigrants. A beautiful book, and a very teachable book. This is the finding of ecologists and other scientists looking at how peripheral spaces can provide adaptive strength. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., the civil rights leader stands beneath a bust of Rev. Background Youll get contextual knowledge as a frame for informed action or analysis. This right was not readily available for John Lewis. The triumph of truth. It's almost sacred. I deliberately took my time reading this important memoir. However, some people can inspire all of us. Best of all, its realistic. Why participate in the work of justice at all? As Henry Louis Gates, a Harvard professor, stated, the test was so challenging that his counterpart could find the correct response to only one question. The late John Lewis offers his thoughts on social activism in this short book. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia was one of the leaders of that movement in the 1960s. But there's not much going on in America that say that this president, here and there, that this president is not one of us, that he's not a citizen. The Congress acted. Therefore, we use a set of 20 qualities to characterize each book by its strengths: Applicable Youll get advice that can be directly applied in the workplace or in everyday situations. REHMAnd welcome back. WAYNEI'm gonna go on the opposite side of the aisle for a little bit. LEWISAt the end of that speech, he said, and we shall overcome. The only thing I heard was condemning Mr. Zimmerman as a racist, a thug, a murderer. The president acted, and the Congress acted, and we got the voting rights in 1965. We come within hearing distance of the State Trooper. The soldiers and the annoyed group were not intended to allow protestors to pass through, with their firearms, tear gas, and batons. Congressman John Lewis of Georgia is with me. REHMAnd here is a question from Rye, N.H. Donna says, "I wonder what place race played into the Republican Congress, what they said about defeating the new president as their first priority at the beginning of President Obama's term.". 800-433-8850. What are some things that you are planning to do? Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work/Biography. Students, fans and supporters of the civil rights movement repeatedly ask Congressman John Lewis the same question: How did you do it?Some wonder how Lewis and his peers pursued civil rights goals when they faced racism, police violence and jail sentences.Others ask how activists remained faithful to their lofty goals in the face of brutal hypocrisy. And we must not let that happen. He appeared for Atlanta as a US Congressman for more than 30 years before his death in July 2020. Find a way to make a way out of no way. LEWISIf I could, the filibuster would be goodbye. Read a Sample. LEWISWe've had job's proposal introduced. LEWISWe believed in the way of peace, in the way of love, in the way of nonviolent, and some of the people that attacked me and beat me during the '60s have come up and said, I'm sorry, will you forgive me. We'll take a short break here and when we come back, we'll talk further and take your calls. I think there's a feeling on the part of some Americans that they don't have anyone to vote for or they don't have anything to vote for. Lewis offers lessons on freedom and how to bring about change. I see some truth in his ideas, but his core beliefs are so liberal that it causes me to be a little skeptical about his practical advice. is particularly well structured. Finally, Lewis is too liberal for my political views. Lewis makes frequent references to examples from history, and the words of peaceful leaders of the past, to support his points. On March 7, 1965, when then-25-year-old activist John Lewis led over 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama and faced brutal attacks by oncoming state troopers, footage of . It's titled "Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change." Rooted in the teachings of Ghandi, Kennedy, King, Mandela and other champions of non-violent activism, this book reads like a beautiful melody. Zora Neale Hurston Maya Angelou Langston Hughes Ralph Ellison Gwendolyn Brooks Richard Wright Claude McKay Civil rights workers > United States > Biography. I have taught this for years, and it was good to hear that I've been on the right track, but the depth and nuance of his explanation deepened my understanding considerably. Faith, patience, truth, love, peace, study, and reconciliation: these are the buckets into which Lewis pours his message about the inner transformation that must be realized to effect lasting social change. A civil rights pioneer and Georgia congressman, Lewis (Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of a Movement) seeks to inspire nonviolent activism in a time that he regards as the most violent in history. LEWISWell, I happen to believe in the Democratic Party. LEWISA very simple plan is that we put everybody to work, everybody. Historian Douglas Brinkley says Congressman John Lewis is that most rare of politicians. In my country of birth, we call you honorable as you're a member of parliament from Sierra Leone. I want to tell you God bless you and family and I love you dearly. He thought that the eventual aim of Americas developers was alike: Making it easy, not challenging for every citizen to follow their dreams. Your email address will not be published. Lots of people, including politicians and citizens, are not ready for this devotion. Lewis and activists had only one choice remaining: standing in the line no matter what. He was a member of the Democratic Party and was one of the most liberal legislators. LEWISWell, I think, first of all, the president, the congressional black caucus and many other members of the Congress, especially (unintelligible), have always been supportive of trade relations with Africa, countries in Africa and other parts of the world. John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 - July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020. LEWISWhat happened March 7, 1965 in Selma, that Sunday became known as Bloody Sunday. We must respect the dignity and the worth of every human being and everybody must be included. It's this feeling that I've been down so long and to down and get me down. I highly recommend it for all. However, these gloomy times are only initial points for better things. People die for that right. 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