Thank You, John Lewis. May Your Light Shine On

Congressman John Lewis

Until his passing on the day I write this, the last surviving speaker from the 1963 August MARCH on WASHINGTON was then very young John Lewis. He eventually became Congressman John Lewis, continuing to speak out and lead across generations. 
During that long career he worked tirelessly to secure justice, to eliminate racism, and to ensure equity and freedom for all.
His individual accomplishments are too long to list but can be examined in these links:

Brief biography
A UNIFYING FORCE in CONGRESS (The Atlantic)
JOHN LEWIS Profile: ACLU

In recent books for young readers, Lewis partnered with Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell at Top Shelf Productions to produce the multiple award winning series, MARCH, a graphic history of the past and recent present. In these astonishingly accurate and appealing graphic books can be found a story within a story, tracing Lewis's personal history overlaid on the template of our nation's changes. 
The first book spans critical points at which Lewis stood on that Lincoln Memorial stage fifty years ago to speak, and into the near-present when he sat in the audience in 2009 as a congressman,  witnessing the inauguration of Barach Obama. There he was within sight of that original gathering. 
At this writing I can simply repeat and endorse the many praises this work has garnered, included rave reviews, as this one in School Library Journal. and multiple well-deserved awards. 
The death of Lewis today was the sudden but predictable course of a recent Stage Four pancreatic cancer diagnosis, which he faced with the brilliance and courage that has marked his character throughout life. 

MARCH, BOOK ONE, was widely acknowledged as a groundbreaking effort to ignite young readers with the powerful sense of urgency of those Civil Rights Years. It was so widely acclaimed and used that it was soon followed by MARCH, BOOK TWO, which was also widely awarded and welcomed in schools, libraries, and individual lives. Among its many accolades are these:
New York Times Bestseller
One of YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens
2016 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work - Winner
2016 Harvey Award for Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation - Winner
2016 Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album Original - Winner
2016 Street Literature Book Award Medal for Best Graphic Novel - Winner
2016 Denver Independent Comic & Art Expo Award for Best Work - Mid/Large Press - Winner

The concluding volume, MARCH, BOOK THREE, released in 2016 to conclude the dramatic and detailed story of Lewis and other dedicated Civil Rights leaders continuing the struggle throughout succeeding years. The trilogy captures the compelling voice of Lewis with the immediacy and inspiring tone that he sustained until his last breath.
Each book in this unequaled and essential series has garnered attention and I'm confident that they will continue to do so:
Winner of the 2016 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
#1 New York Times Bestseller
2017 Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
2017 Michael L. Printz Award Winner
2017 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Winner
2017 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction - Winner
2017 Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children's Literature - Winner
2017 Flora Stieglitz Straus Award Winner
2017 LA Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature - Finalist

Nancy Paulson books, 2016

I dedicate this blog to picture books, but I've occasionally used the platform to call attention to the importance of graphic novels and nonfiction content in graphic format. These are perfect examples of the power of combining images and voice to convey stories with an impact that neither media alone would achieve. 
Even so, the audience for these is not the very young. That doesn't mean that the life of Lewis is not accessible and compelling, even for the youngest. Please also read PREACHING TO THE CHICKENS: The Story of Young John Lewis to learn more about the earliest years of his lifelong journey to lead us to a better world. His story is inspiring and more timely now than ever.
Lewis often referenced his early years in speeches, and it is a blessing to us all that his story was captured so beautifully in the text of Jabari Asim and the incomparably rich images of E. B. Lewis. 

Apart from the absolutely stunning illustrations of E. B. Lewis (no relation to the subject), this book is an invaluable early-childhood story of an American figure whose contribution to human rights is immeasurable. This book opens his life-story to even the youngest readers and all readers seeking insight to the origins of Lewis's commitment to causes greater than himself. He continues to teach us this through his lifetime examples and his words and accomplishments. 

Anchoring this in COVID 19 Time and #BLackLivesMatter movement:
This is simply a note in confirmation of some facts that Lewis lived and confronted throughout his life: 
Struggle never ends.
Truth is not found in the statements of the media or the perceived reality that is delivered by those with political agenda and investment in the status quo.
We are stronger when we stand up and speak up together, but sometimes we must have the courage to be the only voice among our circle of contacts. 
Whether we take on that challenge or not is a question of personal integrity.
This applies to deciding to wear a mask, return kids to schools, or walk (or sit) in protest.
Struggle never ends.
Be inspired by Lewis to examine your own moral compass and act on it.