The St. Mark's Human Dignity Committee would like to draw attention to the following event:
The Social Justice Committee at Saint Peter Claver Church is reading Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement by John Lewis. They will meet at 5:30 PM on Saturday, June 12 via Zoom for a book discussion. All are invited to join the event, though you’ll want to register in advance to get the Zoom link. We’ve set up a link to the registration page at stmark.xyz/Claver.
Talking points for discussion:
In reading his memoir, how would you piece together what John Lewis was like as a person? How did the events of his childhood affect his strength and passion to fight for civil rights in the 1960s--especially , as written in his memoir, growing up on the family farm in a “small world, a safe world, filled with family and friends”? In what way did the safe environment propel him to become a leader in the Civil Rights Movement? Consider, for instance, his reference to caring for the family's chickens and and what ideals that instilled in him.
What role did Lewis's faith play in his life, starting from the time he was a child? How did MLK Jr's sermon on the radio, entitled “Paul's Letter to the American Christians” affect Lewis?
In August, 1963, Lewis gave a speech as head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee SNCC, at the March on Washington . What did he call for? Did the speech work? Would it have worked today? How did the Black Power movement undermine his goals?
How much did you know, or understand, about the history of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement before reading “Walking with the Wind”? Did John Lewis's memoir expand your knowledge or confirm your ideas of that era in history?
Why, in your opinion, has the Civil Rights movement persisted? After 50 years, the outcomes of George Floyd, BLM and ongoing rights issues, why are citizens still struggling for equality?