March: Book One
This map is intended to help students better understand the places and content mentioned in the text. The real-life places, as well as experiences of family members, are included in the various layers to aid in the time period understanding. There are additional locations in the layers to increase overall time line comprehension.

Co-Author John Lewis' Information

Childhood Home
John Lewis's childhood home was on Gardner Bassett Road in Pike County, just outside of Troy, the county seat. This community was established in the early 1800s. Early farming efforts depleted the thin layer of topsoil in the coastal plains region, making farming difficult for many years; eventually, terracing and commercial fertilizers helped bring back agribusiness. These images show the town of Troy, Alabama. (Photo Credit: picryl.com)

Edmund Pettus Bridge
John Lewis walked the span of the Edmund Pettus Bridge many times, beginning with the tragic March 7, 1965, "Bloody Sunday" march, where he sustained a fractured skull. Again just two weeks later, starting on March 21, 1965, he and others led the peaceful demonstration to Montgomery, Alabama, to the steps of the Capitol. Finally, as the first image shows, he and other activists and leaders ceremoniously crossed the bridge. As seen in the second image, a plaque honoring Congressman Lewis has been erected at the southern end of the bridge. (Photo Credits: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/157649500 and picryl.com.)

Good Trouble Mural of Nashville
Congressman John Lewis is known for many inspirational quotes, but maybe his best-known and most loved is this: "Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble." This four-story tall mural was designed and installed by artists Michael McBride and Donna Woodley, along with Micki Yearwood and Rebecca Demaree. McBride of Nashville is an art professor at Tennessee State University. This unique style is created by painting cloth-like panels that are attached to a building's walls. The mural's location represents Lewis's college years, where the civil rights movement became a driving force in his life. In addition, a documentary by the same name showcases how Lewis devoted his life to racial equality and social justice. (Photo Credit: https://www.loc.gov/item/2021756907/.)

South View Cemetery
Congressman John Lewis passed away on July 17, 2020, and was laid to rest at the South View Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia; some of his final words, as the first image shares, were released on the day of his funeral proceedings and shared by Morgan Freeman. His funeral was held at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s former church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, with a eulogy from Barack Obama and speeches by Bill Clinton and George W. Bush on July 30, 2020. Earlier in the week, John Lewis was honored as the first Black lawmaker to lie in state at the US Capitol Rotunda for three days before the funeral, as seen in the second image. Congressman Lewis's body traveled to Atlanta, as the third image shows, with military honor guards tending to the transport; his flag-draped coffin made one last crossing of the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama. (Photo Credit: https://www.loc.gov/item/2021630858 and picryl.com.)

Co-Author Andrew Aydin's Information

Atlanta, GA
Andrew Aydin was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 25, 1983; he is a Turkish-American. He has shared that his mother had a huge impact on him, raising him as a single parent. Growing up, he enjoyed reading and collecting coming books. These images offer two views of Atlanta; its suburbs, transportation hubs surrounding the skyscrapers in the heart of the city, and industry have made it the commercial capital of America's Southeast. The city is also an educational and cultural hub with over forty centers of higher learning and a wealth of museums; an array of professional sports teams also call Atlanta home. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Trinity College
Andrew Aydin attended Trinity College, earning his BA in Political Science in 2006, and was very involved in the campus student government. Trinity College was founded as a private liberal arts college in 1823, but under the name of Washington College with less than one hundred male students; the name was changed to Trinity College twenty-two years later, becoming the state's second college. Trinity awarded its first academic degree to a Black student in 1830 as he prepared himself to teach and work in the mission field. The original campus was sold to the city of Hartford to allow for a new capitol building for the state of Connecticut in 1872, and a new campus was readied over the next six years. The college grew and added more programs into the early 1900s reaching a student body population of 500. 1970 saw female students enrolling at Trinity and the faculty also became diverse. Learn more about the campus at http://www.trincoll.edu/. The images are as the campus is today, featuring the college chapel and some walkways. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Georgetown University
Andrew Aydin attended Georgetown University and graduated in 2012 with a M.A.L.S. in Public Policy. Georgetown College was founded in 1789; its classes started in 1792, drawing students from different lands; it was chartered by the United States government in 1814 and awarded its first degrees in 1817; the medical school and the law school were established in 1851 and 1870, respectively. Some campus buildings served as temporary hospitals during the civil war. As a result, the student body became diverse in the second half of the 20th century. Visit https://www.georgetown.edu/ to learn more about this prestigious institution sprawling along the Potomac River. The second image features the historic Healy Hall, which houses a student center, offices, and more. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Washington, DC
Following college, Mr. Aydin lived and worked in Washington, DC. During this time, Andrew Aydin worked as a staffer in the office of John Lewis; visit http://bit.ly/3Eaj5ta to learn more about the professional and personal relationship between the two. Within the District of Columbia are numerous parks, a network of public transport serving the urban area, large apartment buildings, and a huge array of museums, in addition to historical monuments. In addition, many people work and live in the metro area and have homes in other areas, such as elected officials, their staff, and lobbyists. Both images shown here offer glimpses into apartment living in DC. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Hendersonville, NC
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina is Hendersonville. The downtown area offers small-town shopping opportunities that are highlighted by seasonal agribusiness festivals. Outdoor recreation abounds with hiking and fishing spots, as featured in the first image at DuPont State Recreational Forest. History and unique architecture are found in and around town, like the old mill in the second image. Andrew Aydin lives in this community and travels for work from time to time; he continues to write comics and enjoys bowling most Sunday evenings. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Illustrator Nate Powell's Information

Little Rock, AR
Nate Powell was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1978. The city of Little Rock is seen in the first image, with the Arkansas Capitol Building highlighted in the second image. His family was actively serving in the United States Air Force. His family would relocate to other states over the first ten years of his life, but they returned to Arkansas. When he was just three years old, he began drawing and enjoying comic books, and by age 5, Powell was painting with his grandmother. Nate Powell's best friend recruited him to a comics-making team when he was twelve, sparking disciplined habits in his creations. Turning thirteen, Powell became involved in the punk rock community, like the group shown in the third image, with other teens and found himself in the company of other curious and creative youth often viewed as misfits and outspoken but were shaping each others' lives; at 14 he was self-publishing his comics. Little Rock's downtown area was experiencing a renaissance with cultural offerings along the Arkansas River, but other areas saw increased crime and violence. Little Rock was also home to the 1957 standoff between Arkansas Governor Faubus and the federally mandated integration of Central High School, pictured in the fourth image; the 101st Airborne stood guard to ensure nine African American students could safely enter and attend classes there. As Nate Powell grew up, he developed an acute understanding of autism and individuals' needs as his older brother was on the autism spectrum. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

School of Visual Arts
Nate Powell earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Cartooning while attending the School of Visual Arts in 2000. This private art college was founded in 1947 and now offers under and post-graduate degrees associated with 31 programs for artists, designers, and creative professionals. Visit the school at http://www.sva.edu/ and take a virtual tour at https://www.youvisit.com/tour/sva/136683?pl=v&m_prompt=1. The school is located between Gramercy Park, the Flatiron District, and the Rose Hill neighborhoods of Manhattan. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

New York, NY
Nate Powell lived in New York City while attending the School for the Visual Arts, but he was also working on the self-publishing of his cartoons and his music and record label; even though his band was back in Arkansas, there were tours to be planned, songs to be written, and recording sessions to be planned. The first image shows the Gramercy Park area close to his classes on campus, with the second showing the nearby urban areas close to campus. He would later return to speak before the United Nations, featured in the third image, in 2011 about his work with the book "What You Wish For: A Book for Darfur" as a fundraiser for the Darfuri refugees. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Bloomington, IN
Nate Powell moved to Bloomington, Indiana, in 2004 and has lived there since; he had visited the city earlier in his life while touring with his punk band. Sights around Bloomington are featured in the first three images. He continued to work with adults with developmental disabilities such as autism, as the fifth image shows art as a therapy method, through 2009, and now continues his work with writing/authoring and creating comics as his primary career. The sixth and seventh images show two techniques used in creating comics-storyboarding and digital drawing, although Nate Powell is a pen and paper artist. It was in 2011/2012 that the drawings began to take place for this book. During this time, Powell's family began to grow with the birth of his first child. The Powell family now includes two children and pets. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Western Michigan University
Nate Powell was honored as a "Visiting Artist" at Western Michigan University in 2012 with an exhibit of his work, lectures, and a workshop for those wishing to explore the makings of comics. (Photo Credit: unsplash.com and image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Publisher's Information

Top Shelf Productions
Top Shelf Productions was founded in Marietta, Georgia, in 1997; it then became an imprint of IDW Publishing, Idea & Design Works, LLC, located in San Diego, California. Top Shelf Productions has published some 350 comic books and graphic novels. Additionally, some of these works are being morphed for television. This image shows the Marietta, Georgia, community. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Penguin Random House
Penguin Random House is now the publisher of this book. The publisher dates back to 1838 and has endured several name changes over the years as well as publishing locations and trademarks. Today this is a worldwide corporation with offices around the globe, with over 250 imprints (smaller divisions with specialty markets), producing print and digital books. Penguin Random House, located in Manhattan, recently acquired the parent company of Top Shelf Productions. This image shows part of the Manhattan area. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Growing Up in Alabama-John Lewis' Childhood

Pike County and Nearby Troy
John Lewis was born in Pike County, Alabama, on February 21, 1940, where Troy was the closest town. He was born the third child of ten, with 3 sisters and 6 brothers; his great-grandfather was born into slavery. His parents had been sharecroppers, meaning they lived as a tenant on someone else's land and worked it for a portion of the harvest; learn more about sharecropping at http://bit.ly/3GSQo4I. The Lewis's worked to be able to buy 110 acres of their own in the spring of the year John Lewis was born. In the early years, this farm had no plumbing or electricity, but later the family could listen to radio broadcasting. This image shows the town of Troy in the 1940s. (Image Credit: Alabama Department of Archives and History.)

School Days
Up until 1954 schools in the United States public schools were segregated based on one's race, but segregation did not end with schools, it began there and the result was far greater than a substandard education. Learn more about segregation at  http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1248. Sears, Roebuck and Company leader and co-owner, Julius Rosenwald, a German-Jewish immigrant, in partnership with Booker T. Washington, set out to bring education to more Black children from 1912-1932; by 1928 more than 20% of the Black schools, dubbed Rothenwald Schools and Training Centers across the South in 15 states, totaling 5,357 schools and related structures. John Lewis attended such a school, some distance away in a nearby town. Many of the buildings have been razed, but of those remaining, many will be should become part of the National Parks Service. Learn more about the Rosenwald Schools at http://bit.ly/3kvP7J6. This image shows a Rosenwald Training School that would have been similiar to the school that John Lewis and his siblings would have attended,  (Photo Credit: Alabama Department of Archives and History)

1951 Trip to Buffalo, NY (Potential Route)
This image is a potential route map for the Pike County to Buffalo car ride. The (Eisenhower) Interstate Highway System only existed after 1956 when the Federal-Aid Highway Act passed to authorize a 41,000-mile network of restricted access, high-speed highways that would later be called Interstates. This route shows a plausible route that would have followed major two and 4-lane highways that were numbered in 1926. Taking this route would have allowed for necessary stops. Learn more about the highway systems and their numbers at https://www.usends.com/. (Photo Credit: picryl.com.)

Sattler's Department Store (former location)
Founded in 1889, not far from this location, Sattler's Department Store offered its customers a huge array of items, a precursor to modern big box stores. This location occupied the entire city block until it was razed in 1987, having closed six years earlier after enduring competition from discount retailers. The store pioneered "bargain basement" shopping and was the first air-conditioned retailer in the city. Watch an example of the advertising campaign at https://bit.ly/3wdBP6N. Visit http://bit.ly/3GLuS1E to see the store over the years. John Lewis visited this store with his aunts while visiting Buffalo during the summer of 1951.

Brown Versus the Board of Education
Segregation in American schools has existed from the beginning of educating children in the United States.This segregation had and has been based on gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors. This practice was allowed until the Supreme Court of the United States' decision in the Brown Versus the Board of Education hearing; learn more at http://bit.ly/3CZW4Zg. Parents can be seen protesting the segregation of students in Boston in 1965 in the first image, even though it had been banned in 1954. Other municipalities vehemently opposed it, and a police presence was needed to enforce the new law. Many school districts sought desegregation by bussing students from ethnically homogeneous neighborhoods to schools whose racial makeup was very different, as the second image shows. Sadly, most American schools still fall into the racially concentrated, segregated category, even though the student population is more diverse than before; visit http://bit.ly/3D07BrI and http://bit.ly/3GLZWy8 to learn more. (Photo Credits: picryl.com.)

Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was planned well in advance of the arrest of Rosa Parks for not surrendering her seat to a white man on December 1, 1955, against segregation codes. The quiet manner and impeccable character of 42-year-old Rosa Parks stirred the hearts and wills of those in Montgomery, Alabama, prompting the community to find other means of transportation. Over the 381 days of the boycott, many of the buses sat idle in the company parking area. The second image shows the restored bus where Rosa Parks' misdemeanor occurred, now housed at The Henry Ford. Patrons paid for their bus rides with coins or tokens, as seen in the third image. Years later, a commemorative postage stamp featuring Rosa Parks was issued in 2013; it is featured in the fourth image. The fifth image shows one of the Montgomery Bus Lines' empty buses. The final pictures show the restored bus with the view Rosa Parks had as she boarded the bus and chose her seat. Image http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1567 (Image Credit: From the Collections of the Henry Ford.)

The College Years and the Civil Rights Movement

American Baptist College (Formerly American Baptist Theological Seminary)
The former American Baptist Theological Seminary, now the American Baptist College, was founded in 1924 when the Southern Baptist Convention and the National Baptist Convention joined forces to create an educational facility for Black Baptist ministers. By 1937 both organizations were equally sharing the costs of the operation of the seminary. Many of its alumni, such as Congressman John Lewis, Dr. Bernard Lafayette, and Dr. Julius Scruggs, have championed civil rights. John Lewis began his studies here in 1957 when he was just 17 years old and graduated in 1961. The school changed its name in 1971 to the American Baptist College, but many refer to it as the "University of Nonviolence." For more information about the school's history, visit http://bit.ly/3D9GkDk and take a virtual tour at https://abcnash.edu/admissions/tours/.

Troy University
Troy University, formerly the Troy State University System, consists of four campuses and an online component, dating back to 1887 when it was founded as Troy State Normal School to train teachers for Alabama's classrooms. Following World War II, many returning veterans embarked on an educational journey at Troy State University; satellite campuses were first established at nearby military installations that later became part of the University System. Take a virtual tour of the Troy campus today, as pictured here, at While this was John Lewis' college of choice, his parents were leery of the ramifications of the lawsuit needed to challenge the segregation policy. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Montgomery, AL
In 1957 John Lewis reached out to Martin Luther King, Jr. for his assistance after having applied to Troy University and had yet to receive a response; King and Lewis met over the semester break in 1958 to discuss the matter. John Lewis traveled by bus from Troy to Montgomery, some 50 miles. Although Martin Luther King pastored the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, the two met at the First Baptist Church, pastored by Ralph Abernathy, a close friend and colleague of Reverend King. Visit https://www.splcenter.org/civil-rights-memorial to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement and the importance of Montgomery, Alabama. This image from a postcard shows Montgomery, Alabama, in the mid-1950s. (Image Credit: From the Collections of The Henry Ford.)

First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill (formerly First Baptit Church)
Visit http://www.firstbaptistcapitolhill.org/ to view this Nashville church that helped bring social justice and desegregation into the public eye. In 1958 John Lewis attended this church that was slightly desegregated as some whites attended. Learn more about the church's history at http://bit.ly/403Phb8.

Nashville Lunch Counter Sit-Ins
Following in the footsteps of fellow students in Greensboro, North Carolina, a group of Nashville college students from various universities around the city set out to desegregate the "White Only" lunch counters at different department and drug stores, such as Kress, McClellan, Woolworth's, Grant's Variety, and Walgreens in Nashville's commercial district; part of the district is seen in the first image. Lunch counters and the soda fountain counters of smaller stores were social gathering spots, the place to see people and be seen by others. Larger stores like Harvey's offered tables where diners could enjoy meals or snacks; visit http://bit.ly/3YQN3dG to see the Harvey's in downtown Nashville. While many stores in most areas across the United States would sell merchandise to everyone, food service was quite different, and signs like the one shown in the second image were the norm. The Nashville lunch counter sit-ins occurred from February 13 thru May 10, 1960, with many individuals being arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and civil disobedience. As the news spread, high school and college students in other cities nationwide held sit-ins at many of the chain "five and dime stores," such as Woolworth's and Kress stores, as shown in the third image. The fourth and fifth images show an archived front page newspaper article published in Nashville's "Tennessean." Visit http://www.crmvet.org/images/imgcoll.htm to view several images of students involved in nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins across the Nashville downtown area. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmw4wA2ZfV8 for an actual recording of a lunch counter incident - warning, the language is graphic and insulting. https://bit.ly/3WMcxYt and http://bit.ly/3xqXfOj are two other excellent resources. (Photo Credit: picryl.com, TLBrocken, the Tennessee Virtual and

Nashville, TN
Nashville, Tennessee, was a bustling city in the 1950s with grand historic hotels and restaurants. The river city had grown following WWII, and the music industry was as well, with country, rhythm and blues on radios and drifting out of clubs. Visit https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RRs4muLH7aY to see how the city looked at that time. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com and picryl.com.)

Fisk University
Having just graduated from American Baptist College, John Lewis began his studies at Fisk University in 1961. During this time, Lewis became very active in the Civil Rights Movement, participating in several marches and lunch counter sit-ins. He graduated with a B.A. in religion and philosophy in 1967. Fisk University is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, founded in 1866 and is Nashville's oldest college, and is a private, historically black liberal arts college. Fisk University was the first African-American college to be awarded accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1930 and the Association of American Universities in 1933. (Photo Credit: picryl.com.)

Freedom Rides 1961
Thirteen individuals, including John Lewis, as seen in the image, as he and others are being escorted by Birmingham Police, sought to challenge the segregation laws of the day that existed in many states. These 13 brave men and women, both Black and white and of a variety of ages, were harassed and attacked, arrested, and even fire-bombed; the protest rides aboard the Greyhound and Trailways buses lasted from May to September of 1961. Their actions provoked the Interstate Commerce Commission to change its policies regarding segregated travel and prompted the federal government to begin enforcing a 1960 Supreme Court ruling. As word spread, more and more people joined the ranks wearing the button in the second image on buses across the United States. The third image shows a bus stopped by an angry mob and then fire-bombed by the KKK in Anniston, Alabama. (Photo Credit: BN0004006_09: Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by Alabama Media Group. Photo by Robert Adams and Norman Dean, Birmingham News; from the Collections of The Henry Ford, and picryl.com.)

March on Washington at the National Mall
On August 28, 1963, a quarter of a million people of varied races gathered from across the United States on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to protest racial discrimination in employment and to support the civil rights legislation before Congress. This was the culmination of months of intense planning - permits were requested, handbooks outlining behavior expectations and schedules, busses chartered, and buttons identifying participants were ordered, as seen in the first image. Many in Congress had concerns regarding a march of this size, and on June 19, 1963, President Kennedy, hoping for a peaceful march, told Congress that other nations around the globe were watching the racial struggles and tensions and that it was "weakening the respect with which the rest of the world regards us." The second image features a meeting of the president and march organizers. Thousands arrived by bus, as in the third image, some by train, as in the fourth image, and even celebrities like Harry Belafonte flew in from Hollywood, as seen in the fifth image, along with other entertainers, such as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. Dr. Martin Luther King led this march, as seen in the sixth image, with press members going to get into position; the following four images feature various groups also showing their support. Once all of the marchers had traversed the streets from the Washington Monument and gathered on the National Mall at the Lincoln Memorial a mile away, these peaceful protestors listened to songs, prayers, and speeches. John Lewis, featured in the eleventh image, was the event's youngest speaker; his youthful passion was evident in his speech. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. offered his most inspirational speech just before the assembly adjourned, as is shown in the twelfth image; view https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP4iY1TtS3s. To view more images, visit http://www.bobadelman.net/galleries/mow/index.html. The final image offers a bird's eye view of this grand peaceful assembly of protestors. (Image Credit: From the Collection of The Henry Ford, https://www.loc.gov/item/2013648843/, https://www.loc.gov/item/2013649706/, https://www.loc.gov/item/2013649716/, https://www.loc.gov/item/2013648833/, https://www.loc.gov/item/2013649720/, https://www.loc.gov/item/2013648848, https://www.loc.gov/item/2013649719, https://www.loc.gov/item/2013649703/, https://www.loc.gov/item/2013648849/, https://www.loc.gov/item/2013649722/, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021669757/, and https://www.loc.gov/item/2013648845/

Edmund Pettus Bridge
The Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, was built in 1940; this steel arch bridge crosses the Alabama River at a height that still allowed Selma to serve as a port city. After intense voter registration efforts led by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) headed by Martin Luther King, Jr., tensions were rising between those favoring the Jim Crow laws and those who were seeking to overturn them, putting Selma in an epicenter. In 1961 only 1% of the county's Black residents of legal voting age had been able to register to vote. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church
The Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church began in 1866, first meeting for prayers in one another's homes as small groups, and then began meeting in the basement of Selma's Albert Hotel as an official congregation. The group joined the A.M.E. Connection the following year and two years later built their first structure. Rebuilt in 1908, as seen in the first image, it would play a significant role in the Voting Rights Movement in the 1960s. Many inspirational speakers would address those in attendance, including John Lewis in January of 1965, as seen in the second image. The church would become a host for mass meetings. Visit https://brownchapelamechurch.org/history/ to learn more. (Photo Credits: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7722075 and BN0002428_08: Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by Alabama Media Group. Photo by Ed Jones, Birmingham News.)

Bloody Sunday March
After intense voter registration efforts led by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), tensions were rising between those favoring the Jim Crow laws and those seeking to overturn them, putting Selma in an epicenter. At the county courthouse in Selma, voter registration was limited to a mere two days per month by county order, but the SCLC set out to encourage voter registration every weekday beginning in mid-January. After three weeks, some 3,300 protestors had been arrested and detained. News of this had reached Washington, D.C., prompting two congressional delegations to investigate and aid the voter registration. In the following days, the Federal Registration and Elections Commission had hoped to be given the authority to register voters, but the legislation did not have enough congressional backing to pass into law. Days before this protest march, another march for voters' rights in Marian, Alabama, in mid-February had ended in bloodshed and the death of a former soldier and youth leader, Jimmie Lee Jackson, shot by a state trooper. Finally, on March 7, 1965, some 600 individuals gathered at the Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church and planned to march to the State Capitol but were met by a militia of state troopers and others. While the marchers were non-violent, they were viciously attacked with tear gas and brutally beaten with clubs; John Lewis sustained a fractured skull in this attack that would be dubbed "Bloody Sunday." All of this madness was captured on live television and broadcast around the globe. The third image offers a look back into history to 1867, when an elderly gentleman was able to cast a vote for the first time in his life; this privilege would soon be severely restricted in the Southern states due to Jim Crow laws, necessitating these voter registration efforts. (Photo Credit: BN0002435_75: Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by Alabama Media Group. Photo by Spider Martin, Birmingham News and BN0016998_16: Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by Alabama Media Group. Photo by Tom Lankford, Birmingham News, and Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Voting Rights March from Selma to Montgomery
Two weeks later, beginning on March 21, 1965, another march was led by Martin Luther King, Ralph Abernathy, John Lewis, and some 4,000 others, as they began marching from Selma to Montgomery; this highly planned march began at Brown Chapel with participants camping at coordinated farms along the way. The march was required to be completed in a matter of five days. By the evening of the first day, when the group reached the farm of David Hall, the number had cut to just 300 as the road narrowed and safety was a factor; although disheartened at the time, many would rejoin the march in a few days. Many carried flags, as the second image shows. The resolve is evident on the face of the young John Lewis in the third image. Florida's Governor Leroy Collins is seen in the fourth image serving as a mediator; the publicity of this march hurt his political future as many no longer trusted him. Finally, the fifth image shows the remnants of a small Alabama town similar to those they may have passed along the way. Over the next few days, however, many people joined the group swelling the number to over 10,000 as they approached the Alabama State Capital Building. Several months later, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed by President Lyndon Johnson. (Photo Credit: https://www.loc.gov/item/2010587464/, https://www.loc.gov/item/2003675345/, picryl.com, http://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/128613, and image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com, and from the Collections of The Henry Ford.)

Congress Years

Cannon House Office Building
The Cannon House Office Building, the oldest congressional office building, was completed in 1908; until then, many representatives either worked at their House Chamber desk or in borrowed or rented space. Just inside the main entrance is the Rotunda with a dome that floods the area with light. Explore virtually at http://bit.ly/3HdCdHC. The two images here offer similar views at different times of the day and over the years. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com and https://www.loc.gov/item/dc0471/.)

Presidential Visits at the White House
Over the years, Congressman John Lewis visited with various presidents and vice presidents. President Obama held a special respect for John Lewis and attributed many of his political achievements to the civil rights work of John Lewis; visit https://www.obama.org/john-lewis/ to learn more. The president-elect paused to hug his hero, John Lewis, before taking the Oath of Office, as the story references that cold morning of January 20, 2009. On February 15, 2011, Lewis was honored as he received the 2010 Medal of Freedom, a civilian award, as seen in the first image. By definition, this highest honor is given for "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural, or other significant public or private endeavors." The Medal of Freedom was first established by President Truman for civilian service during WWII and re-established by President Kennedy to include cultural achievements. Four years later, on the 50-year anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, President Obama hosted a White House Discussion with Congressman Lewis and others; the second image shows part of that day. Visit https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SRSqPPpundE to view the discussion. (Image Credit: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/179014919 and https://catalog.archives.gov/id/234393589.)

Friends and Family's Places

Dothan, AL (Hometown of Otis Carter)
First settled in the late 1700s by pioneering settlers who harvested the pines growing in the area, the area had sandy soil that farmers of that time did not understand. In 1885 the town of Dothan was incorporated. In the early 1900s, area farmers began growing peanuts and are now one of the world's largest producers of peanuts. Although very segregated, Dothan was the first city in Alabama to employ African Americans as police officers. The area maintains its ties to agriculture and its export hosting the National Peanut Festival annually. These images show the city of Dothan as it looked when Otis Carter lived in the community. (Photo Credit: Alabama Department of Archives and History.)

Buffalo, NY
Uncle Otis Carter's twin brother, O. C. Carter, and another brother, Dink, lived on North Division Street in Buffalo, where both O. C. and Dink worked for General Mills; these brothers were among the many Black Americans who migrated to the industrialized North. Learn more about John Lewis's family at http://bit.ly/3XauDUU. These images show some of the older homes that would have been common during the 1950s, and grain silos are seen in the second image as well as the railroad tracks that would have brought the grain to the factories, such as General Mills. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University, a private research university founded in 1873, is known for its collaborative spirit and academic excellence. Learn more about the university by visiting https://www.vanderbilt.edu/. Jim Lawson was a student here in 1958 in divinity school but was expelled for his leadership of the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins. Today Vanderbilt honors his work in the civil rights movement with the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Other People and Places

Chicago, IL (Hometown of Emmett Till)
Emmett Till and his mother lived in a suburb south of the heart of Chicago; view their home at http://bit.ly/3X0KxQZ. In the years following WWII, Chicago saw a drop in city population as many moved to the suburbs. Rhythm and Blues sounds filled the air. Many poorer neighborhoods saw substandard housing torn down and housing projects erected. Learn more about the city and particularly the South Side at http://bit.ly/3JmlmF0. (Image Credit: https://www.loc.gov/item/2014648269/ and image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

Murder of Emmett Till near his Relatives Home in Money, MS
Emmett Till traveled from Chicago, Illinois, to his great uncle's home in Money, Mississippi. While visiting relatives there, he stayed at the home of Moses Wright. It was cotton harvest time, and Emmett and his cousins would help in the morning and just be kids in the afternoon hours. On August 24, 1955, Emmett Till and his cousins traveled to the small store, as seen here, on Money's primary street to buy candy or a cold drink. Details of the events of that day vary and have been confessed to having been lies by some of the witnesses. Two days later, Emmett Till was kidnapped by the store's owner and his half-brother in the middle of the night. Several days later, the body of the 14-year-old from Chicago was found in the Tallahatchie River. Despite arrests, justice was not served, and after a period of time, the murderers confessed and actually sold their story to a magazine. Learn more about this tragic and brutal murder at (Image Credit: https://www.loc.gov/item/2017879610/.)

India, Home of Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi, known as the "Father of India," was born in the coastal community of Porbandar in 1869. He worked as an Indian lawyer, author, and political activist against the British rule of India. He is remembered for his teachings of nonviolent protest to achieve social justice; one such goal was the freedom of Indians and the unity of the Indian people. Gandhi experienced ethnic prejudice in South Africa and other areas of his travels. He is shown in the first image, and a statue of his likeness is featured in the second image from a public park. His doctrine influenced individuals and organizations globally and the museum honoring him can be seen in the third image. Read more about his life at http://bit.ly/3janzsC. (Photo Credit: Image(s) used under license from shutterstock.com.)

International Civil Rights Center & Museum (Former Greensboro Woolworth's Location Sit-ins)
Beginning on February 1, 1960, and lasting for five months, the Greensboro Woolworth's store lunch counter, along with a handful of others, became a publicized setting of civil disobedience. With frustrations mounting the "Greensboro Four," a group of four students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, set out to make a stand by sitting down at the lunch counter. Without just cause the police that had responded to the scene were forced to stand and watch. The "Greensboro Four" had planned this with a white businessman who notified the media and provided televised event coverage. Once the store closed, everyone left peacefully; more students returned the next day, so it continued. Learn more at http://bit.ly/3Di4tHO and http://www.sitinmovement.org/. (Photo Credit: picryl.com.)