March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

By the fall of 1963, the Civil Rights Movement has penetrated deep into the American consciousness, and as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, John Lewis is guiding the tip of the spear. Through relentless direct action, SNCC continues to force the nation to confront its own blatant injustice, but for every step forward, the danger grows more intense: Jim Crow strikes back through legal tricks, intimidation, violence, and death. The only hope for lasting change is to give voice to the millions of Americans silenced by voter suppression: “One Man, One Vote.”

To carry out their nonviolent revolution, Lewis and an army of young activists launch a series of innovative campaigns, including the Freedom Vote, Mississippi Freedom Summer, and an all-out battle for the soul of the Democratic Party waged live on national television.

With these new struggles come new allies, new opponents, and an unpredictable new president who might be both at once. But fractures within the movement are deepening, even as 25-year-old John Lewis prepares to risk everything in a historic showdown high above the Alabama river, in a town called Selma.

Why We Chose This

During his years as Vice President under Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon sought to ensure minorities weren’t discriminated against and worked with Congress to spearhead the Civil Rights Act of 1957, a precursor to the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In the March series, discover the inside story of the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of one of its most iconic figures, Congressman John Lewis.

Author

John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

Year

2016

Pages

256

Size

9.5h x 6.5"w

ISBN

9781603094023