Walking With The Wind



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“Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement” is a personal account of progressive U.S. Congressman from Atlanta John Lewis. This person is really outstanding from the point of his political struggle. Being the head of Student Nonviolent Coordinate Committee,John Lewis was one of those who allowed contemporary America to be treated like a country of real liberal and democratic values. Thereby, his name forever remains in history in the same line with Dr. Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael, and Julian Bond. As for John Lewis’ famous work, it was priced with Kennedy book award in 1999, and widely known as always relevant reading about civil rights movement.

“Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement” by John Lewis worth to be called the real heritage to contemporary and next generations of socially conscious Americans. This statement is based on several points that made appropriate reading unique one. First of all, readers are able to take inside look into the civil rights movements, as we know them from history classes. However, it is not some kind of surface review. It is alive story that allows millions to get sense of tension and struggle that were inherent tothat times. At second, ‘Walking With the Wind” is a kind of first hand story of person, who is known as one of the most significant figures in the history of American civil rights movements. Going from page to page, readers are welcome to learn personal experience of prominent public activist who made a back-breaking contribution to real liberal values promotion and establishment. Few first chapters of analyzed book begin with Lewis’ discussion on his recent visit to Southern city that awakens his memories about civil rights movements at the same location. In this way, undisputed interconnection of past and presence is outlined. As for entire plot, the part about author’s childhood worth special attention. As readers find it out, John Lewis was born and spent his childhood in little Southern village, largely free of white people –“ ”a small world, a safe world, filled with family and friends”. However, he still witnessed oppressive impact of Jim Crow’s segregation. Talking about writer’s childhood, two crucial moments are outlined. The first of them is Lewis’ experience in taking care about chickens, when he realized the sense of responsibility and commitment. The second is the story about his thirst to knowledge and education, with particular example when he bottled to school bus not to miss day in classroom.

In Walking with the Wind, Congressman John Lewis 'evokes, with simplicity and passion, how the 1960s transformed the United States In this powerful memoir (written with Michael D'Orso), Lewis provides a compelling account rooted in his own history' (New York Times). 'No other elected official in America embodies the grand legacy of Martin. “Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement” is a personal account of progressive U.S. Congressman from Atlanta John Lewis. This person is really outstanding from the point of his political struggle. Being the head of Student Nonviolent Coordinate Committee,John Lewis was one of those who allowed contemporary America to be treated like. One Direction: Walking In the WindAlbum: Made In The A.M.//2015Members: Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis TomlinsonPortal Link: https://youtu.be/P. John Lewis’s 1998 memoir, Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement, written with Mike D’Orso, is an intimate firsthand account of the US Civil Rights Movement (CRM). Lewis, the child of sharecroppers, grew up in Pike County, Alabama, during the heyday of segregation in the American South.

Probably, one more point is not less crucial. In 1955 John Lewis heard King’s speech preaching a sermon entitled ”Paul’s Letter to the American Christians”. From that time, young John Lewis finally confirmed with his viewpoints on faith, responsibility, commitment, care, Christianity and liberal values, personal civic duty at last – “’When I care about something. I am prepared to take the long hard road. That’s what faith is all about”.

The next important part of memoir dedicated to his study in American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville from 1958 till 1959. Being the member of James Lawson’s group, John Lewis learnt much about nonviolent methods of civil disobedience to get the racial status quo and so dreamed equality. He and some of co-groupers including Lawson, Bernard Lafayette, Diane Nash and James Bevel organized Nashville Student Movement. Its members took the role of innocent victims during demonstrators in Anniston and Montgomery, Alabama, when cruelty of local authorities stressed American nation. The validity of “Walking With the Wind” is determined by its ability to show out known historical events not only in the way of time references. Every page of a book, and every described event is full of emotions, tension and drama as it was in real life. Except Anniston demonstrations, John Lewis touches our hearts and affects minds with his narrations about own speech on Washington in August 1963; the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in March 1965; turmoil inside S.N.C.C. etc. Each of historically valid events described in his books, take one more birth in minds of Americans. Generally, we used to treat civil rights movement unified, permanent, virtues directed movement in the name of one goal and for the benefits of millions. In his work, John Lewis showed that appropriate movement had much more shady way, including even factors of internal controversies. By giving the option to esteem the real origins of success, readers leave the idea that equality and tolerance, as we know them today, became the natural product of time and human’s thought evolution. John Lewis allows to get the idea that appropriate accomplishment is the result of inhuman self-sacrifice and without parallel faith of those, who found the strength to go against system.

Walking With The Wind Amazon

As for subthemes of John Lewis narration, we may outline his vision of own personality in the entire civil rights movement – “people who are like fireworks, popping off right and left with lots of sound and sizzle. . . . Where will they be at the end? . . . Firecrackers go off in a flash, then leave nothing but ashes. I prefer a pilot light — the flame is nothing flashy, but once it is lit, it doesn’t go out. It burns steadily, and it burns forever”. Calling himself “pilot light”, this author used the work to express own views, life principles and experience. It is difficult to stay indifferent, when he recalls the moments of failure and depression with Kennedy’s and King’s assassinations – “It hurt so incredibly much when they were taken away,” Lewis writes. ”It was like trusting yourself to all in love again after you’ve given your heart once and had it broken.

. . . What could we believe in now?”. In the same way, readers cannot stay indifferent in the part of author’s thoughts about commitment as ”patience and persistence”, “Beloved community”, faith, Christianity.

Walking

In fact, “Walking With the Wind” is incredibly inspiring work. Except its validity to enlighten wide masses with real story of greatest time in American history, it is incredibly influential for civil consciousness forming. In other words, it is practically impossible to find out another book that will be equally influential to reach the real understanding of liberal values and theirs’ implementation in our everyday life. Notwithstanding age, race, religion or political views every one of us is welcome gather and learn real meaning and guidelines of civil responsibility, and make them example to follow even with everyday routine.

Walking With The Wind

Reference

Lewis, John. Walking with the Wind: A memoir of the movement. Harcourt Brace & Company, 1998.

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“Walking with the Wind’

Dr. Herman O. Kelly, Jr., Contributing Writer

As an instructor at Louisiana State University I received a book award. One of the books I selected was “Walking with the Wind, by John Lewis. This book was a memoir of the Civil Rights Movement. The wind is an indication of change and a new weather pattern. Creatures are always aware of the changing wind currents. Eagles usually find the strong wind current to guide their flight. Walking with the wind means that we must walk with the Spirit of God. In biblical script God’s Spirit is compared to wind.

Walking With The Wind Meaning

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So, it is with everyone born of the Spirit” John 3:8. The Spirit moves like the wind and we can not determine the direction. How do we walk with the Wind?

Walking With The Wind Hardcover

The year 2020 has been difficult for all of us, a global pandemic, civil unrest, severe hurricanes, fires, and other calamities. To walk with the wind means to be guided and directed by God’s Spirit. We have been asked to change our routines and wear face coverings and social distance. This is new for all of us, but it is God’s Spirit which should help us listen to the science and remain faithful in our daily experiences. As Christian believer’s it is imperative that we listen to God’s voice through the Spirit. This is not the first time we have had difficult times in our lives. We as a people have endured slavery, discrimination, Jim Crow laws, and racial profiling. Our survival was in the Almighty Hands of God. I could remember the Old Preacher’s saying in my formative years of faith the following, “Over my head I hear music in the air, Over my head I hear music in the air, Over my head I hear music in the air, There must be a God somewhere.” We know God is with us in our suffering, pain, and existential circumstances.

Secondly, we walk with the wind when we participate in the wind of change. As a child I use to watch the animals prepare for winter, because they would feel the wind and feel the temperature change. The squirrels would gather food for the long winter, the birds would fortify their nest. Today, we feel the wind of change and we see the power of participation in our society. We see a new generation challenging us to make a change. This new generation has grown weary of our politics of separation and exclusion, they have grown weary of our Sunday only faith. We must listen to the voices of change and we must support a new generation of freedom fighters. In class a few days ago, one of my students asked, “When we change the names of buildings is that enough?” My student was really asking, “When will policy changes come in conjunction with changing a building’s name?” We must listen to an articulate and engaged generation. I am an instructor in African and African American Studies, but I am also a student, who continues to learn, and I teach.

Walking With The Wind Movie

Lastly, we walk with the wind when we prepare for the upcoming change. We are on the brink of new leadership in the White House. This new leadership when give us a breath of fresh air. This new leadership will participate in giving all of us a new voice. How do we prepare for the upcoming change? We listen to a new generation of freedom fighters. We should give them an opportunity to participate in a new agenda. An agenda of inclusion and not exclusion, an agenda of speaking for the least of among us. We must be open for the voices of this new generation, and we should serve as mentors and advisors for the new generation of freedom fighters. As our elder’s gave us some advice and direction, we too should serve as advisors. In African Traditional religion and other faith traditions. The wise person gives the wisdom to the community. Let us give the community direction as guided by the Spirit of God.