The March on Washington was a March for Jobs and Freedom. There are still too many people who are unemployed or underemployed in America - they're black, white, Latino, Native American and Asian American.
John LewisRead
I remember back in the 1960s - late '50s, really - reading a comic book called 'Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery Story.' Fourteen pages. It sold for 10 cents. And this little book inspired me to attend non-violence workshops, to study about Gandhi, about Thoreau, to study Martin Luther King, Jr., to study civil disobedience.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects how a simple story can inspire significant personal and social change through non-violent action.
John Lewis shares a personal anecdote about how a comic book he encountered inspired him to engage deeply with ideas of non-violence and civil disobedience, leading to a lifelong commitment to social justice. This illustrates the powerful impact that literature and stories can have on individuals, motivating them to pursue important causes and instigate change in society.
Themes
InspirationNon-ViolenceCivil RightsChangeEducation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech on the power of education and its ability to drive social change.
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Customs, traditions, laws should be flexible, within good reason, if that is what it takes to make our democracy work.
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I say to people today, 'You must be prepared if you believe in something. If you believe in something, you have to go for it. As individuals, we may not live to see the end.'
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We need someone who is going to stand up, speak up, and speak out for the people who need help, for the people who have been discriminated against.
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If it hadn't been for that march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday, there would be no Barack Obama as President of the United States of America.
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