How John Lewis is Transforming the Way We Teach the Civil Rights Movement

By Julia Burzynski, a Summer 2015 Leadership Conference Education Fund Intern

Earlier this month, Rep. John Lewis, D. Ga., and Andrew Aydin held a signing in Washington, D.C. for March: Book Two, the second book in their trilogy of graphic novels about the civil rights movement. Specifically, the series recounts Lewis’s experiences and involvement in the movement, and the importance of remembering it beyond what Aydin called the ‘nine words’: Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, “I Have a Dream.”

The purpose of this series – a purpose that is bolstered by its medium – is to teach the victories and struggles of the movement to a broader audience, including children. Lewis expressed his desire to make his stories understood by younger generations so that they may be better prepared to take on the civil rights issues of today – and tomorrow.

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More information about the books can be found here (Book One) and here (Book Two).