In August 2013, Georgia Congressman and civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis teamed up with artist Nate Powell and writer Andrew Aydin released a graphic novel entitled “March: Book One.” The graphic novel series depicted Lewis’ historic involvement in the civil rights movement in comic book form. In January 2015, “March: Book Two” was released. Now the largest school system in the U.S. will be using the graphic novels to teach students about the civil rights movement.
Lewis, who has been in Congress since 1987, was the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from 1963 to 1966 and, at just 23 years-old, he was the youngest speaker at the historic March on Washington in 1963. Lewis was also one of the original freedom riders. In 1960 he fought against segregation by participating in a series of dangerous non-violent demonstrations that would eventually lead to historic changes in the law in the South.
On March 7,1965, Lewis led a demonstration of over 500 marchers on Highway 80 in Selma, Alabama. When the marchers attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Lewis and several others, were confronted violently and beaten by police on a day now known as “Bloody Sunday.”
Now the New York City Department of Education has decided to use Lewis’ story as depicted in “March” as a tool to teach eighth graders about the civil rights movement. March has lauded by Publishers Weekly as being one of the best books of 2013 and was number one on the New York Times Bestseller list.
