Matt Doeden - John Lewis: Courage in Action

John

Lewis

Lerner Publications Minneapolis

Matt Doeden

Courage in Action

John

Lewis

Copyright 2018 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Lerner Publications Company

A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

First Avenue North

Minneapolis, MN USA 55401

For reading levels and more information, look up this title at www.lernerbooks.com .

The images in this book are used with the permission of: The Photo Access/Alamy Stock Photo, p. 2; AP Photo, pp. 6, 29; Library of Congress, pp. 8, (LC-DIG-fsac-1a33894), (LC-J694- 255), (LC-USZ6-1847); Paul Schutzer/The LIFE Premium Collection/Getty Images, p. 9; Bettmann/Getty Images, pp. 10, 12, 15, 16; New York Times Co./Getty Images, p. 17; Kreeder13/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), p. 19; The Peep Holes/Wikimedia Commons (PD), p. 20; Everett Collection Inc/Alamy Stock Photo, p. 22; AP Photo/Nashville Police Department, p. 23; Everett Collection Historical/Alamy Stock Photo, pp. 24, 31; Afro American Newspapers/Gado/ Getty Images, p. 26; AP Photo/Ric Feild, p. 34; AP Photo/Linda Schaeffer, p. 35; White House Photo/Alamy Stock Photo, p. 37; Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images, p. 39; AP Photo/Ron Harris, p.

Front cover: Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images.

Main body text set in Rotis Serif Std Regular 13.5/17. Typeface provided by Adobe Systems.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Doeden, Matt, author.

Title: John Lewis: Courage in Action / written by Matt Doeden.

Description: Minneapolis, MN : Lerner Publications Company, 2018. | Series: Gateway biographies | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Audience: Age | Audience: Grade

Identifiers: LCCN 2017026119| ISBN 9781541512382 (lb) | ISBN 9781541512399 (eb pdf)

Subjects: LCSH: Lewis, John, 1940 February 21Juvenile literature. | LegislatorsUnited States BiographyJuvenile literature. | African American legislatorsBiographyJuvenile literature. | United States. Congress. HouseBiographyJuvenile literature. | Civil rights workersUnited StatesBiographyJuvenile literature. | Civil rights movementsSouthern StatesHistory 20th centuryJuvenile literature. | African AmericansCivil rightsSouthern StatesHistory 20th centuryJuvenile literature. | Southern StatesRace relationsJuvenile literature.

Classification: LCC E840.8.L43 D64 2018 | DDC 328.73/092 [B]dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017026119

Manufactured in the United States of America

2-46111-34003-5/29/2018

Contents

John Lewis , 1963

V iolence was coming. Twenty-one-year-old John Lewis was sure of it. It was the spring of 1961, and racism was widespread in the United States, especially in the South. In many states there were laws in place to segregate, or separate, Black people and white people. This meant they could not attend the same schools, use the same bathrooms, or sit in the same waiting rooms. But in 1960, the US Supreme Court the highest court in the United Statesdecided that segregation in train and bus stations around the country was no longer legal. Black people traveling across the country would be allowed to use the same bathrooms, waiting rooms, and restaurants as white travelers.

However, many state governments were not enforcing this decision in areas across the country. So Lewis and twelve others, known as the Freedom Riders, went on a journey to test these laws. Lewis had no doubt that at some point on their journey, the group would face violent opposition. He just didnt know when.

On May 4, the thirteen riders had boarded buses in Washington, DC, and headed south. They planned to reach New Orleans, Louisiana, on May The Freedom Ridersseven Black people and six white peopleplanned to ignore signs for separate bathrooms and waiting rooms along the way.

Lewis understood that by taking this stand, he was risking his life. He knew he might die on this trip. Many in the group even wrote wills before boarding the buses

A Greyhound bus station in South Carolina

in Washington, DC, to explain their wishes in the event of their deaths. Yet the group traveled through Virginia and North Carolina without serious incident. On May 9, they arrived in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Thats where everything changed.

Lewis approached the waiting areas at the Rock Hill Greyhound terminal. One waiting room was reserved for white passengers. A second was marked Colored. Lewis fixed his gaze on the room for white passengers.

As he approached the door, several young white men watched. [They] were leaning by the doorjamb to the waiting room, Lewis later wrote. They wore leather jackets, had those ducktail haircuts.

Two of the men stepped between him and the door. They told him to use the other room. Lewis didnt move.

Thats when it happened. The violent outburst came so

A group of Freedom Riders approaches a waiting room and restaurant marked for white customers.

quickly that Lewis had no time to react. The next thing I knew, a fist smashed the right side of my head, he wrote. Then another hit me square in the face. As I fell to the floor I could feel feet kicking me hard in the sides. I could taste blood in my mouth.

The vicious beating went on as people watched. Eventually, a police officer stepped in to break it up. Lewis was bleeding and in pain. Yet even as more police officers arrived, he refused to press charges against his attacker. His