Your highlights will appear here. This is the typical life path that continues to rule contemporary culture. Brief Summary of Book: Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America by John Lewis. I struggle with the current political situation, increasing prejudice and decreased concern for the retired, middle class and those who need help with addiction, housing, adequate nutrition and medical care. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. presents the latest findings in a topical field and is written by a renowned expert but lacks a bit in style. In reality, facing violence and inequality made the faith of Lewis and his counterparts more powerful. 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. As a conservative and a Lutheran, I have a much lower opinion of human nature. However, a greater success of him was that he went beyond the pulpit to convey his message through action. He built the book around several practices that are essential for social justice work: faith, patience, study, truth, peace, love and reconciliation. It is bigger than the sum of us all, and whole, even in its parts. Others drove through the town throwing rocks. Since the people invested government with its authority, we understood that we had to obey the law. King, who had met with President Lyndon Johnson two days earlier to discuss voting rights legislation, remained back in Atlanta with his own congregation and planned to join the marchers en route the following day. As they began to cross the steel-arched bridge spanning the Alabama River, the marchers who gazed up could see the name of a Confederate general and reputed grand dragon of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan, Edmund Pettus, staring right back at them in big block letters emblazoned across the bridges crossbeam. Each chapter/essay dealt with a theme of peaceful resistance via a particular concept: love, peace, unity, etc. John Lewis grasps that if not acted, the gloominess just becomes more powerful. Required fields are marked *. 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. Behind them were deputies of county sheriff Jim Clark, some on horseback, and dozens of white spectators waving Confederate flags and giddily anticipating a showdown. This is the finding of ecologists and other scientists looking at how peripheral spaces can provide adaptive strength. He decided to learn the ways to assist people who are made resentful by hate. Although Wallace ordered state troopers to use whatever measures are necessary to prevent a march, approximately 600 voting rights advocates set out from the Brown Chapel AME Church on Sunday, March 7. From Page 164, "Perhaps the variations in appearance and expression that seem to occupy so much of our concern--tall, short, black, brown, straight hair or curly, white or yellow, fat or slender, gay or straight--are more an expression of the broad imagination of the Creator than they are an indication of our value or worth.". Know that this transformation will not happen right away. He did not get angry at the racism, it attracted his attention. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Insiders take Youll have the privilege of learning from someone who knows her or his topic inside-out. Ironically, rush and more usually mean less. Mother Theresa, Study: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Chapter Summary for Andrew Aydin and John Lewis's March: Book One, section 1 summary. Rooted in the teachings of Ghandi, Kennedy, King, Mandela and other champions of non-violent activism, this book reads like a beautiful melody. This effort, in conclusion, brought the Voting Rights Act of 1965. A group of 600 people, including activists John . Their purpose was basic but absolute: take a bus jointly, no matter what ones race is, and go to New Orleans from Washington, DC. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and National Geographic Traveler. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. Charles E. May. Hes a national treasure and we need to hear more from him. Analysis. The rising civil rights member John Lewis refined the characteristics needed to make a permanent transformation in the course of his life of activism. According to Dr. King, faith is useless if not aspires you to assist people in solving their hardships. They pushed back Lewis and Williams. 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. He successfully guided activists along the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama where they encountered armed state soldiers. Look to the growing edge! Howard Thurman Edge has its advantages. Lewis thought that all of us have a spark inside us of the divine as our light. Nearly all the grandfathers of African Americans were condemned to slavery, so the grandchildren needed to register afresh. A contrast is called to mind between the aimless rioting and looting seen in present day, and the studied, planned, non-violent approaches of the earlier era, that led to an end of segregation and other injustices in the American South. Congressman Lewis' book is comprised of three essays on faith, patience, and peace. For beginners Youll find this to be a good primer if youre a learner with little or no prior experience/knowledge. John Lewis and activists organized a walk to the state capitol to protest the voter discrimination. He never hesitated in his belief in nonaggression or that we are only human as a family, whatever our race is.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'goodbooksummary_com-banner-1','ezslot_7',108,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-goodbooksummary_com-banner-1-0'); His conviction is cultivated while he is raised in the middle of the brutality and fright of the partitioned deep South. On March 7, 1965, John Lewis led a group of peaceful protestors onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Networks for Social Change: Life on the Edge. It can even lead to the dimming of the light of all humanity born on this planet. The trouble with reviewing an audio book, especially one that I took 6 months to list/read, is it is hard to remember things. 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. This short book is Lewis' guide for the young activists in the world today. Get help and learn more about the design. There was an unfair condition because people were giving permission silently to all these. Lewis later testified in court that he was knocked to the ground and a state trooper then hit him in the head with a nightstick. "Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is a success in itself that you study sufficiently so that you own your truth completely. This book provides tremendous insight on how to have a more fulfilling life. I believe that we are all a spark of the divine, and if that spark is nurtured it can become a burning flame, an eternal force of light. At the peak of the bridge, they saw the State troopers and the assigned citizens of Alabama. The author, John Lewis, is from a family consisting of sharecroppers in the South in the Jim Crow age and stood up to assist form the movement of civil rights with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After that, he was a leader. 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. As a leading player of the civil rights movement, Dr. King encountered a lot of hate and rage, even from his family. Historical Selma bridge is civil rights landmark. Your playing small doesnt serve the world. Lewis and his fellow Freedom Riders demonstrated love by silently resisting the anger of an insulting regime. Weeks earlier, King had scolded Life magazine photographer Flip Schulke for trying to assist protestors knocked to the ground by authorities instead of snapping away. Across that bridge life lessons and a vision for change 1st ed. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society., Darkness cannot overcome darkness, only light can do that. there's no better time to revisit the lessons of the '60s and no better leader to learn from than Congressman John Lewis. Editor's Note: Douglas Brinkley is author of "Rosa Parks" (2000) and wrote the foreword to John Lewis' "Across . In a new book titled "Across that Bridge," Congressman Lewis draws on lessons learned as a leader of the civil rights movement in the '60s, to inspire today's grass roots activists fighting for social, economic and political change. In ten short years, there was a tempest that transformed what the American Revolution did not address, what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were afraid to confront, what the Civil War could not unravel, what Reconstruction tried to mediate, and Jim Crow did its best to retrench. Once Lewis and Williams reached the crest of the bridge, they saw trouble on the other side. Choose confrontation wisely, but when it is your time don't be afraid to stand up, speak up, and speak out against injustice. After a few moments, the troopers, with gas masks affixed to their faces and clubs at the ready, advanced. Scientific Youll get facts and figures grounded in scientific research. 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-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_16',116,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-goodbooksummary_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); With this altruistic gift, King highlighted the movements fundamental message of inclusion and love for everybody. This past is a significant memory that shows things may look gloomy like in the time of Lewis on the top of that bridge. I do recommend this book, but it was a little disappointing for me. I like reading books and writing summaries. This was one of the gloomiest times of the American civil rights movement. His bounty is an example of how actions can be used to show your truth is respectable. Ive got nothing further to say to you, Cloud answered. In the end, these guns ruled the nation.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'goodbooksummary_com-leader-2','ezslot_17',117,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-goodbooksummary_com-leader-2-0'); Lewis was among the core 13 Freedom Riders. AFRICAN PROVERB, It is so strange to me that we have learned to fly in the air like birds, learned to swim in the ocean like fish, shoot a rocket to the moon, but we have not yet learned how to live together in harmony with one another., I have seen this restlessness among the people before. Nobody could hurt him. Across That Bridge by John Lewis Book Summary - Review (AudioBook) Good Book Summary 3.95K subscribers Subscribe 493 views 2 years ago Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the. Every shock was further evidence that our racially fallacious society could not put out the fire for the freedom it felt. I absolutely loved this book for what is has to say about bringing truth and peace to America, and the world. However, some people can inspire all of us. 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. It was not a coincidence that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became the leader of the movement. A helpful and/or enlightening book, in spite of its obvious shortcomings. You have to do the right thing. As I loved his autobiography Walking with the Wind, I was thrilled when my wonderful sister told me about this book and gave me a copy. Some mistakenly believe that mere fatigue prompted Parks, a seamstress, to refuse to leave herseat. . The most important lesson Congressman Lewis provides is the necessity of inner transformation. And if you follow your truth down the road to peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see, then the poetry of all the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is finally at peace with itself., Every generation leaves behind a legacy. It is unlikely that what you hope to accomplish is new. For months, the efforts of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to register Black voters in the county seat of Selma had been thwarted. In a seemingly more partitioned world than ever, this is a message we must take into account. 6 Notable. Stay up-to-date with emerging trends in less time. Best of all, its realistic. Clearly I am gushing with joy, excitement and love! Children were getting sad and confused with all the details of legalized discrimination and this shows a great advancement. Lewis and his activist friends found power in their beliefs at the time they finally managed to throw aside these man-made ideas made to bring them down. I hope that these words of Congressman Lewis, plus the introductory quotes for each chapter will whet your appetite for the whole book. Through our inaction it becomes stronger, and a more potent force. Anyone in these movements has embarked on the responsibility to eliminate the vigors of discrimination and demolition by utilizing their inherent light. So radical was Highlander's thought, it was placed under FBI surveillance. When we were getting arrested and waiting in jail or standing in unmovable lines on the courthouse steps, we didnt know what would happen, but we knew it had to happen. This ignorance comes from the thought that the world differs for different races. It's "Bloody Sunday" when civil rights . On March 7, 1965, a group of protesters attempted to march across the . The job was not complete. Yes, it is particularly applicable in activism. 5 Solid. In between 1900 to 2000, around 33 million troops and 54 million nonmilitary people died in the war. Courageous, hopeful and inspiring civil rights leader John Lewis is one of my heroes. Look at Lewis fellow and counterpart Rosa Parks. 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. Innovative You can expect some truly fresh ideas and insights on brand-new products or trends. Hachette Book Group USA, The assault on civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama helped lead to the Voting Rights Act. The truth is a powerful force. It challenged me to think of how I view the political & moral climate & how I choose to react. However, today some of the leaders do not know the living conditions of the majority of Americans. I love how devoted he was and is to nonviolent social change, how he continues to live the dream that many gave up on in the late 1960s, and his support of current civil rights issues of gay rights and educational equality. Background Youll get contextual knowledge as a frame for informed action or analysis. But, as Good Book Summary is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. A helpful and/or enlightening book that is extremely well rounded, has many strengths and no shortcomings worth mentioning. They are again concerned with their responsibilities for the democratic process. I listened to the audiobook, and if I were reading this as a book, I would not have put it down. Networks for Change: Values Before Vision? He saw obviously that the disparity that governed his world was not correct. All Quotes Outrage at Bloody Sunday swept the country. Amy suggested that I read Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement, which is in our infinite pile of books (and near the top). Study the path of others to make your way easier and more abundant. Becoming aware of the truth requires action, and that is when the struggle begins., Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America, Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change. The truth is so all-consuming that it cannot be denied. There are more negroes in jail with me than there are on the voting rolls., READ MORE: Civil Rights Movement Timeline. This is an unlawful assembly. However, it was not only this. I highly recommend it for all. Here's what the ratings mean: 10 Brilliant. 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