Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and Andrew Aydin, co-authors of the graphic novel series “March,” will be the featured speakers at a Family Action Network (FAN) event at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29. Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Ave., will host the event in the school auditorium. The event is free and open to the public and seating is first-come, first-served.
“March: Book One” was distributed to ETHS students in the Class of 2020 as the “one book” reading selection for ETHS in preparation for meaningful discussions during the 2016-17 school year. The “March” series tells the life story of Rep. Lewis, a civil rights icon. The Washington Post says, “There is perhaps no more important modern book to be stocked in American school libraries than ‘March.’”
Rep. Lewis first joined the civil rights movement as a seminary student in Nashville, Tenn., organizing sit-ins and participating in the first Freedom Rides, which challenged illegal segregation at bus stations across the South. He soon became the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and one of the “Big Six” national leaders of the movement, alongside such figures as Martin Luther King Jr. and A. Philip Randolph. As SNCC chairman, Rep. Lewis was an architect of, and a featured speaker at, the historic 1963 March on Washington, and was a key figure in the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer.
Together with Hosea Williams, Rep. Lewis led the landmark “Bloody Sunday” March in Selma, Alabama, where police brutality spurred national outrage and hastened passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Despite physical attacks, serious injuries, and more than 40 arrests, Rep. Lewis has remained a devoted advocate of the philosophy of nonviolence. He has served on the Atlanta City Council, and over 25 years in Congress. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2011, and was the first recipient of the John F. Kennedy “Profile in Courage” Lifetime Achievement Award.
The auditorium is wheelchair accessible. Guests should plan to arrive at least 20 minutes before the 7 p.m. start time to find parking and seats.