American History Lesson :: John Lewis

I don't know how far I'll get into this, but I had an idea. Right now I feel overwhelmed with the duties of motherhood, but in the future I plan to invest a goodly amount of energy: to learn more / teach more about the Full United States History. American history that includes "parallel narratives", the stories of minorities like the First Nation / Native Americans and Black people. These stories are hugely important to understanding our country - the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

(Disclaimer: I am the least qualified to teach history. But I like learning and reading...and thanks to Charlotte Mason, I am loving history! What I share here will be little snippets to whet appetites, to bring a little light to obscured history. Hopefully it will lead to more reading and research. These "lessons" will be more like a resource list for further education.)

First up: John Lewis. He died two days ago, July 17th. He served in the US house of Representatives for Georgia from 1987 until his death 2020. He was a civil rights leader -- organizing sit-ins in Nashville!, was an original Freedom Rider, etc.

This mug shot was taken after John Lewis was arrested for entering a so-called "white restroom". 

"Even though I was under arrest, I smiled because I believed we were on the right right side of history. You too must find a way to get in the way. #goodtrouble - John Lewis

Local interest: he graduated from Fisk and American Baptist Theological Seminary (now American Baptist College) - both here in Nashville, TN. 

Books to read: 1 children's book about him and 4 books written by him:

1. Picture book that I adore, Preaching To The Chickens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zMqq1roTmY  by Jabari Asim 

2. Set of three graphic novels, The March trilogy, about the Civil Rights Movement. I have read the first one so far. I'm not a graphic novel person, but these are well done and very informative:

3. His memoir/autobiography, Walking With The Wind.

Lastly, here is a little brief summary of 9 things you should know about him: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-john-lewis-1940-2020/