Written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin
Illustrated by Nate Powell
Published by Top Shelf Productions an imprint of IDW Publishing
Sometimes there are two Americas. This has been said many times.
Published in three parts this graphic novel helps the reader to
understand the distinct phases of John Lewis’ career in activism.
Book One: Lunch counter sit ins
Book Two: Freedom Rides and the March on Washington (including
John’s most famous speech)
Book Three: Voter Rights, 1964 US Election (The election of L.B.
Johnson) and the 1965 March from Selma to Montgomery
The novel begins with the Inauguration of Barack Obama’s
as the 44th US President. This is used as a counterpoint for John’s activities
in his earlier life linked to desegregation and emancipation. These events take
place from 1940 - 2009 during possibly the most extraordinary period of US
history.
John Lewis as a young man is called to seek justice by the voice
of God. He believes in non-violent protest at a time where universal hostility towards
black people by the US system and the white population was the order of the day.
It was a radical departure. Living by the simple notion that he must engage
peacefully with people who feared change and denied the possibility that
African Americans could ever be their equal. He and many others challenged the
segregation of the American South that had existed since the abolition of slavery.
The further South he travels the more he is drawn into the heart of darkness.
It is a tale of bravery and conviction at a time when ones
courage and beliefs could mean the loss of ones job, personal injury, imprisonment
or death. At this time the death of an African American was not a priority for
investigators. The South was a place littered with victims of hatred and white
supremacist ideology. It took the murders of white activists in Mississippi to
bring the media running. It’s a story that suggests that things can improve,
that ignorance can be overcome, that Government can make concessions and
enforce the law.
The black and white Illustrations capture the period and the
intensity of the movements in their desire for progressive change. The scenes
of the Church bombing in Birmingham are vivid and the expression of the dignity
of oppressed peaceful protestors comes across well. These images set the scene
for a world that revolved around the actions of CORE, NAACP, SCLC
and SNCC. There were natural rivalries and
divisions but these were mostly generational. All agreed that change was necessary
it was the speed of the change that fueled the debates.
John Lewis survived this tumultuous period despite others close
to him paying the ultimate price. The message from the novel asks “What would
you be prepared to do or risk for what is right?” The leaders Malcolm X and
Martin Luther King Jr. opposites who became social activists rather than purely
racial champions both died for the same ideal.
It is said that the trilogy was given extra coverage and sales
thanks to John Lewis’ spat with the 45th US President. For many the current US
situation demands a return to the protests that shaped our present and may
protect our future.
June
2017
No comments:
Post a Comment