Entendiendo la vida y el legado de John Lewis

Let’s talk about the Legacy of Sen. John Lewis.
In this class we will examine the life  and teachings of John Lewis through his words, writing and historic footage. We will discuss core values of equality, forgiveness and Lewis’ definition of “good trouble”

In this  class we will talk about what was John Lewis considered “good trouble.” We will watch historic clips from the actual bridge crossing and discuss the meaning of the historic crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.  We will also discuss core issues of equality, social justice and human dignity as these core values relate to John Lewis’ life and legacy. 
The session will be conducted as following:

Session One:
Introduction of class members sharing one key piece of information known about John Lewis’ life and historical significance.

 A summarized history of the historic events will be provided including discussing the 1965 Voting Rights Act. A brief minute video from the movie “Selma” of crossing of the bridge will be shown A discussion will be had about what the marches may have experienced or believed. 

Using  Socratic questioning students will respond to these questions. 
Where is the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail?

What is the significance of the Trail?

What is the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

What is meant by "Bloody Sunday"?

What is Tent City?

Given what we know about John Lewis’ life, why do you think John Lewis meant by  “good trouble”?

Students will then watch historic video of the first and second marches from the movie Selma.


Session Two:

The instructor will read segments from John Lewis’ books  and ask students  to paraphrase comment below and discuss the meaning and application of the quotes. Students will also view historic segments from some of his speeches.

“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”
― John Lewis

“Every generation leaves behind a legacy. What that legacy will be is determined by the people of that generation. What legacy do you want to leave behind?”
― John Lewis, Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America

“We are one people, one family, the human family, and what affects one of us affects us all.”
― John Lewis, Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change

“I loved going to the library. It was the first time I ever saw Black newspapers and magazines like JET, Ebony, the Baltimore Afro-American, or the Chicago Defender. And I’ll never forget my librarian.”
― John Robert Lewis, March: Book One

Fury spends itself pretty quickly when there's no fury facing it.”
― John Lewis, March: Book One

“We are involved now in a serious revolution. This nation is still a place of cheap political leaders who build their careers on immoral compromises and ally themselves with open forms of political, economic and social exploitation. What political leader here can stand up and say, "My party is the party of principles?”
― John Lewis, March: Book Two

“Rioting is not a movement. It is not an act of civil disobedience. I think it is a mistake for people to consider disorganized action, mayhem, and attacks on other people and property as an extension of any kind of movement. It is not. It is simply an explosion of emotion. That's all. There is nothing constructive about it. It is destructive.”
― John Robert Lewis, Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement


“As citizens, we knew we had ceded some of our individual rights to society in order to live together as a community. But we did not believe this social contract included support for an immoral system. Since the people invested government with its authority, we understood that we had to obey the law. But when law became suppressive and tyrannical, when human law violated divine principles, we felt it was not only our right, but our duty to disobey. As Henry Thoreau strongly believed, to comply with an unjust system is to accept abuse. It is not the role of the citizen to follow the government down a path that violates his or her own conscience.”
― John Lewis, Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change

“By the force of our demands, our determination and our numbers, we shall splinter the segregated South into a thousand pieces and put them back together in the image of God and democracy.”
― John Lewis, March: Book Two

“Malcolm (X) talked about the need to shift our focus from race to class, both among one another and between ourselves and the white community. He said he believed that was the root of our problems, not just in America, but all over the world. Malcolm was saying, in effect, that it is a struggle for the poor -- for those who have been left out and left behind -- and that it transcends race.”
― John Lewis, March: Book Three

“Take a long, hard look down the road you will have to travel once you have made a commitment to work for change. Know that this transformation will not happen right away. Change often takes time. It rarely happens all at once. In the movement, we didn't know how history would play itself out. When we were getting arrested and waiting in jail or standing in unmovable lines on the courthouse steps, we didn’t know what would happen, but we knew it had to happen.

Use the words of the movement to pace yourself. We used to say that ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part. And if we believe in the change we seek, then it is easy to commit to doing all we can, because the responsibility is ours alone to build a better society and a more peaceful world.”
― John Lewis, Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America

“Nothing can stop the power of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society. Why? Because human beings are the most dynamic link to the divine on this planet.”
― John Lewis, Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change

“Whenever the people finally reject the efforts to fragment their collective energies into warring factions and remember their divine union with one another, when they throw off material distractions and irrelevant negativity and hear their souls speak with one voice, they will rise up. And whatever is in their path will either transform or transpire.”
― John Lewis, Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change