"Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation," by John Lewis
Hey Everyone!
Since this piece is relatively short, I thought it only fair
that I do a little additional research and provide a few brief highlights from
John Lewis’s long and distinguished career in public service and civil rights
leadership. A native of Alabama, Lewis was one of the original Freedom Riders
and served as the chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. At the
age of only 23, he spoke at the 1963 March on Washington on behalf of SNCC. He
also led the first march from Selma to Montgomery. On that Bloody Sunday, the
marchers were attacked by state troopers, who beat Lewis and fractured his
skull. He was elected to Congress in 1986 and became known as “the conscience
of the Congress.” A writer, he received the National Book Award in 2016 for his
graphic novels on the Civil Rights Movement. He was serving his 17th
term in Congress, representing his Georgia district, when he passed away at age
80 from pancreatic cancer.
Lewis mentions several names and places that might not be
familiar to all, so I’ve provided very brief sketches below:
Rayshard Brooks – A 27-year-old African American man who was
killed by Atlanta police in the parking lot of a Wendy’s in 2020.
Sandra Bland – A 28-year-old African American woman who was
pulled from her vehicle and arrested in 2015 by Waller County, Texas, police, who
claimed that she failed to use her turn signal. Her subsequent death in county
jail was ruled a suicide.
Breonna Taylor – A 26-year-old African American woman who
was fatally shot in her Louisville, Kentucky, home in 2020 by police executing
a search warrant for alleged drug activity of Taylor’s boyfriend.
Skittles – Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African American
high school student, was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch leader while Martin
was returning to his Sanford, Florida, home after purchasing a bag of Skittles
in 2012.
Innocent Morning Jog – I believe Lewis is referring to Ahmaud
Arbery here. Arbery, a 25-year-old African American man was jogging near his
Georgia home when he was pursued by three white men, one of whom fatally shot
Arbery in 2020.
Mother Emanuel Church – The scene of a 2015 Charleston,
South Carolina, mass shooting, where nine African American church members were
shot and killed by a white supremacist during a Bible study.
Las Vegas Shooting – A gunman fired from his hotel window into
a crowd at a Las Vegas music festival in 2017, killing 58 people and wounding
more than 800.
Elijah McClain – A 23-year-old African American man who was
forcibly restrained by Aurora, Colorado, police and injected with ketamine in
2019. McClain died three days later.
I find this to be such an incredibly powerful piece for so
many reasons. By repeatedly referring to “you,” Lewis is directly addressing
the reader and encouraging action. The fact that he wrote this just prior to
his death and that it was then published posthumously adds to its urgency, I
believe. Additionally, Lewis is mindful of the many injustices that remain in
our country, especially those directed at the African American community.
However, he remains hopeful. He believes that democracy will prevail, and that
justice will triumph if we answer “the highest calling.” It’s a truly
inspirational message!
Here is a smörgåsbord
of questions from which to pick and choose, as you see fit.
1, What lessons can you take from Lewis’s piece for your own
writing?
2. When Lewis urges “you” to redeem the soul of our nation,
to whom is he referring? All readers or a certain subset?
3, Have you done any writing that might be considered
“political?” Or, do you try to avoid writing about “political” issues? Please
expand.
4. In our polarized era, is it possible to write about controversial
issues without triggering a vicious backlash? How might we try to do this?
5. Lewis encourages us to get into “good trouble, necessary
trouble.” What does he mean by this? What does “good trouble, necessary
trouble” mean to you? Any examples?
6. Lewis states that “Democracy is not a state. It is an act
. . .” How might this “act” include writing?
7. What is the “highest calling” of your heart, and how
might writing play a role in this?
I love how you did all that extra research! It was really cool to read about some of his accomplishments, and I think it adds a good amount of background on whose work we are reading, and how it fits in to the environment they were in. Environment of the author is sometimes overlooked when we are analyzing things, so thank you for putting that research in!
ReplyDeleteAlso, thank you for putting context to those names, and giving people this information that is important to know for the essay and its purpose. Not a lot of people see all this information, or go out of their way to look into it, so adding that to your post just adds even more depth to our understanding of this piece.
I also thought it was fantastic that he addressed the reader head on, forcing the reader, us, to look within ourselves and our own understandings of these topics and their impacts. The message is important to get out there, but when a reader is forced to look within themselves by the piece, it adds another layer that the reader may not get from a different style, even if it is the same subject matter.
Going with some of your questions, I think he is urging all readers to redeem that soul, but each must do it in a different way, depending on their circumstances and status within the society of the US. I have not personally done any heavily political writing. I often feel like I am unqualified, or not in the position to tell the stories I see or hear of. I have my own subset of things that I could write about, but there are times where I feel like more important people are already telling those same stories while other voices are not being heard at all. I think it may be almost impossible to not "trigger" someone, but some things need to be written or heard anyway, no matter the backlash, especially in a time where no one is listening to the needs of the people around them. That idea of the highest calling is a very interesting one, and I think it would take a lot of in depth understanding of myself and my environment to really understand what it is, where I stand with it, and how it plays a role in my writing.
Thank you for a great post!
Thank you for such a thoughtful post, the additional research, and thought provoking questions.
ReplyDelete1. What I found inspiring about the piece was writing about the truth no matter what. I like that he explored how the past is intertwined with the present and the present intertwined with the future. I think anytime you can point to a truth about humanity that has spanned generations it has the ability to be profound and resonate with a large audience.
2. I believe the "you" has a quality of referring to the individual but also the collective.
3. I have not yet entered the political arena with my writings, yet. I usually tell myself that I'm too ignorant on the topics to write on them, but that is probably a lousy, almost cowardly excuse, and I instead offering my voice to different movements based on what I believe.
4. I don't know if it is possible to write without receiving some sort of backlash, especially when writing about political topics. Someone is bound to disagree with you, but I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. We should write our truths and not pander to anyone who disagrees by reducing or adjusting our opinion. If anyone disagrees with topics such as reducing the injustices faced by people of color, that is their right, but we shouldn't try to write in a way that avoids backlash.
5. Good trouble is getting arrested at a protest. Getting in trouble fighting for what you believe in.
6. The written word is powerful and can be a useful tool in creating change or pointing our a problem that isn't being talked about. What is great about the written word is that it gives us time to sit and contemplate our opinion and how we want to state it. We can explore metaphor and poetic language to bolster our ideas and affect the reader's minds in more profound and everlasting ways.
7. My heart's highest calling is understand the human heart and mind in a deeper way, and using that understand to write about the human condition that is true, moving, brings us together, and reduces some degree of suffering.
First of all I really appreciate that you took the time to research the piece so deeply! While I was familiar with some of the things Lewis discusses, I found your research extremely helpful! As for your questions, I'm skipping a few because I ran out of space. Sorry!
ReplyDelete1. I think one of the strengths of this piece is the very frank way that Lewis discusses police brutality and white supremacy. I think that discussing white supremacy is something that makes many (white) people very uncomfortable, and I really like that Lewis didn't do anything to soften the blow. I also really like that Lewis is implicating everyone in the struggle against racism! There's this tendency that white people have, where we position systematic racism as a problem for people of color to solve. Lewis directly combats that by implicating everyone in his piece, and I think that makes his message extremely powerful!
2. I love that Lewis used "you" in his piece, because in some ways, it's speaking directly to the reader. So ultimately, I think Lewis is speaking to everyone that reads the piece! Of course, the idea of "redeeming the soul of the nation" is very broad, and means a lot of things to a lot of different people! To a person of color who's already heavily involved in activist circles, Lewis is encouraging them to continue the fight. For a white reader who's never really involved themselves in social justice, it’s a call to start fighting for racial justice. It's versatile, and I think it's designed to reach as many people as possible.
3. While I have put political stuff in my work in the past (mostly poetry), I think my work does also tend to get politicized. Like. I’m a lesbian. I’m a gnc person. I write about gender and sexuality a lot. And because of that, people tend to read my work as inherently political because they read my gender and sexuality as inherently political, even if I didn’t deliberately write about politics. And honestly, it think this is something that ANY minoritized writer experiences at some point.
4. I actually think that trying to be bipartisan on purpose is a bit of a trap. I think trying to appease everyone politically leads to a lot of self-censorship, and makes it very difficult to talk about sensitive topics. when you're writing an inherently political piece, it's better to accept that it's impossible to please everyone in politics (within your own party AND across party lines) and just say what you want to say. Of course it's important to be respectful, but trying to avoid pissing anyone off is like trying to avoid hitting a bug on the interstate. It's gonna happen at some point, particularly when writing about politics.
6. I think this is a really complex question! When I was a kid my dad always said that in order to function, democracy needs to have a population of informed citizens. While he said this largely because he saw anyone who voted democrat as selfish and uninformed, I do think he has a point. Writing serves an important part in democracy, because it doesn't just keep citizens informed. It also serves to maintain accountability. "Political" pieces about forms of systematic oppression keep us AND the system we live in accountable. Writing can also mobilize us to affect systematic change.
Scott, thanks for all of the thought and research that went into this blog post! Great questions, as well.
ReplyDeleteSo many good questions to choose from, but here are some that stuck out to me:
1.) I like Lewis' tone throughout the piece. Writing politically often brings to mind anger and pointed fingers. While Lewis is expressing incidents of injustice that produce feelings of anger, he is ultimately thanking the reader for their work. It is uplifting, this idea that he proposes that this generation can bring about changes that produce peace. I think if I ever wrote politically, I would remember the tone of this piece, the hope it produces.
3.) I haven't attempted to write anything that is inherently political before. Like some of my classmates have said, I often feel as if I am not well-informed enough. Maybe I am missing a key point to this issue that others will be quick to point out, making me lose all credibility. I also am not one who likes to cause conflict, and with political issues, someone is always going to disagree. While it's not a branch of writing that I ever see myself fully diving into, I think it would stretch me as a writer to attempt a political piece, even if I don't ever intend on sharing it with an audience.
4.) I do think people will always disagree with controversial things you write. I don't know if the backlash always is vicious (I know it doesn't have to be) but there will most likely always be disagreement. I think the question of avoiding this backlash depends on the motivation of your piece. If your piece's motivation is to call out hypocrisy and injustice, there will be backlash from those called out, but I think then you've reached the audiences you want to hear your message. But if your piece is trying to elicit reconciliation between two groups or compassion for another, then maybe you should tune your piece in a way that will ruffle less feathers, in order for your main idea to be considered.
Thanks Scott for such a comprehensive post and a great variety of questions! I'll do my best to provide answers for all of them.
ReplyDelete1. I was particularly drawn to how Lewis used time in his piece. Connecting events in history, let alone pivotal ones, is something society struggles to do today, and I believe Lewis did a exemplary job at both connecting important events across history within his piece, while also providing a historical background in which the reader can immerse themselves. Similarly on that note, I'd like to thank you for including all the background information and research you did; it clearly shows your level of knowledge and dedication.
2. I don't think there is necessarily a right or wrong answer to this question, so, in that regard, I would say that Lewis is referring to all people who reside in this great nation of ours, but not just in our time, in all time, from before the founding, to the future we have yet to experience. I think this call to action could also be read as a broader call for social change across the world, that encompasses other nations than just the United States.
3. I have done some "political" writing in my time. One example that comes to mind in particular, especially because of it's similarity in chronicling historical events, was when I wrote about the past, present, and future of American politics examined in the book "The Ground We Stand On" by John Dos Passos, who was a writer, painter, and political activist. I have also written a variety of theologically-themed pieces on religion within society, which could perhaps be considered to be within the realm of politics, or at the very least, social change.
4. I think it is possible to write in such a way that backlash is minimized, but I don't think there will ever be a platform or forum where "vicious backlash" will not occur in some form. While free thought and free speech are prerequisite to writing and responding to anything, there will always be those who civilly disagree, and unfortunately, also those who sow seeds of discord and hatred in their disagreement. Human nature dictates the existence of both of these groups of people. All we can do is write what is true and just, and make an honest effort to "educate the populous" as Thomas Jefferson said when speaking on the requirements for democracy. Our audience must make the choice themselves what to believe, but the very least we can do is provide all the facts, and make a stand against injustice and immorality.
5. "Good trouble" seems reminiscent in my mind to the idea of rebellion for a just cause. A quote put forward by Benjamin Franklin comes to mind, "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." Another quote by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn comes to mind when thinking about truth as a just cause, “The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. One word of truth outweighs the world.” Here's one further quote by Venerable Fulton Sheen, “The truth is the truth even if no one believes it, and a lie is still a lie, even if everyone believes it.”
6. The "act" of democracy could be enacted in my writing through the noble pursuit of virtue, and of content that imparts important and true knowledge upon the reader. If not this, than to at least write unabashedly as myself.
7. The highest calling of my heart is to live out my Catholic faith in every facet of my being. Everything else unequivocally descends hierarchically beneath this. My writing, especially when focusing on topics of faith and social change, must exemplify virtue and truth through faith. If it has failed to do this, I have failed as a writer and as a Christian.
Scott, as always, wonderful work. I appreciate the research (some of these went over my head on first reading, which is sad, because these kinds of things should be so rare as to warrant permanent memory of them) and the plentiful questions. I’ll address them willy-nilly.
ReplyDeleteLewis’ piece is incredibly strong despite being just over a page long, which is an important exercise in editing and honing. He saves his limited wordcount for the barest, most fundamental details and directives—here is what is happening, and here is what you must do. For many of us, the latter will likely involve writing, at least to some degree, as an “act” of democracy. While I typically avoid politics as a subject, I do not avoid topics because they are politicized. That is, I do not write about politics specifically, not only because I lack a substantial understanding of it but because there are plenty of people who make their living discussing it already. Instead, I focus on topics that I might have a personal connection to or a unique perspective on, even politicized topics like abortion, gun control, and freedom of speech. I don’t write about partisanship, in part because it very much stresses me out, but I will write on issues that occupy spheres of partisan debate.
For me, this falls into the category of “good trouble, necessary trouble” as a writer and an individual. If all I wrote was controversy-free, easily digestible, and irrefutable, I would be a poor excuse for a writer and a thinker. That said, the “trouble” arising from my writing must be “good” and “necessary,” raised for the purposes of debate, of education, and of progress, rather than for likes, attention, or chaos. We must not poke the bear for fun or for the sake of it; instead, we must kick up the dirt to see what lies beneath, to rebuild the (political, societal) landscape and leave it more whole than we found it.
Great post Scott! First off, I’d just like to say a few things about this piece. The way in which Lewis addresses the “You” as in all of us, is so incredibly powerful. We’re taking from this a message that transcends race into an image of a unified America/world all fighting and benefitting from the end of hate. This style makes this piece invoking even for me, a white kid from rural northwestern Wisconsin with a graduating class of nineteen. I feel propelled by Lewis. This is all just so wonderfully intimate and the fact that this can almost be read as his dying wish lends this piece something else beyond the weight of need. It’s a passing of the torch.
ReplyDelete1.) Something I really admired about this piece was the poetic nature of Lewis’s prose. There were a few sentences in this essay that were so masterfully written that they nearly became poetry. This isn’t to say that I think that’s what Lewis was doing, as in I don’t think he was writing poetry. I think he was displaying such a mastery of craft in general and writing with such a rhythm that his “prose” became more. Maybe when I’m eighty I can try to do something like this.
2.) I touched on this one earlier, but I think the “you” that Lewis is referring to is anyone and everyone who is willing to listen.
3.) While I’ve taken several classes now that have dealt directly with race in America and have written a bunch of essays, that sort of political writing hasn’t come over to my “own creative writing”. Maybe that’s too strong of a statement, I try to always carry with me the lessons and knowledge I’ve gained from all of my learning. I want to be mindful. I do think I try to deal with some weighty issues. I write a lot about “mental health”, “drug addiction” (also mental health), and a desperation felt by less than “good” people. To make a long, weird answer longer and weirder: No, I haven’t written anything I would consider overtly political like Lewis’s essay.
4.) A giant emphatic NO! Lol, no I think we can write something political and not receive vicious backlash (for the most part). I think there are a lot of really great people with lots of love in their hearts that are steeped within hateful dogma. The impossible part is how can you be patient with someone who uses racist slurs?
Thank you for all of the work you put into your response and the background information you provided, this was extremely helpful. I will start with my overall thoughts from the text. I found this to be an incredibly moving piece, as mentioned before, referring to the reader directly as "you" puts the weight on the reader's shoulders and makes the call to action at the end of the piece all the more powerful because of how personal it feels. I think this is also incredibly helpful for any readers who are not a part of the Black community feel like it is also their job to be a part of this movement of change. This piece could easily be read and taken personally by Black readers, but having the personal "you" reference invites all readers to take accountability in this movement alongside John Lewis's legacy.
ReplyDeleteLooking at question four in particular, what does he mean by good trouble, necessary trouble. Any time someone is trying to elicit change, especially politically, they are going to be breaking some sort of rule. Whether that is actual laws or social norms, you must stir the pot, break up what is going on, to get your new idea in. Conversations surrounding institutionalized racism can be hard, and many people get upset or offended when these conversations are brought up. However, just because a conversation may make someone upset, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have it. Real change, in thought and in action, happens when people are willing to set aside the fragility of some people's emotions and say what needs to be said, and take the action that needs to be taken all for the greater good. This is good trouble
And looking at question six, how might writing be considered an act of democracy. Writing gives us the ability to amplify voices and stories that might otherwise go unheard. Writing is a mode of communication and can be seen as an act of bringing justice forth. As writers we should always be considering whose voices we are sharing, who are we leaving out, and as readers we should be doing the same.
ReplyDeleteHi Scott! This was such a well-written response, thank you so much for adding some additional information for us. I liked how you provided multiple questions. To answer question #7, “What is the “highest calling” of your heart, and how might writing play a role in this?” I really like all the questions but this question was calling out to me. To answer, I think my “highest calling” in life is to help others among everything. To love and spread the love. I believe all the circumstances that I went through in my lifetime already have been a gift given to me to one day help other people who have been through the same things as me. My life wasn’t particularly easy growing up and I by no means can relate to police brutality as so many people of color have in our nation, but I feel what it feels like to be helpless. My reading of John Lewis’ piece had me reflecting on the many hard truths and realities that a lot of people have to go through and it allowed me to sympathize and I think that is the beauty and power of story-telling. I one day want to share my story and write it out in a way where people can read it and relate to it and feel not so alone and empathize to a certain degree. I think that is my highest calling in life, is being witness to people’s life stories while also writing about my own, and I think there is so much power in story-telling and so much connection that stems from that single act of vulnerability. The quote from this story that tugged on my heart strings a little is this, “If we are to survive as one unified nation, we must discover what so readily takes root in our hearts”. Tying it all back to the question that was posed, I think adhering to what really speaks truth to us and brings us peace is the key to making sure we are living up to our highest calling in life.
I appreciate you for going out of your way to research the author and the references included in the piece.
ReplyDeleteI think what especially struck a chord with me was his paragraph on history. Even though I don't think I take it seriously enough, studying history throughout my college career has been crucial to giving our ongoing political turmoil some much needed context and perspective. John Lewis himself is history incarnate. His involvement in the Civil Rights Movement gives him a phenomenal background to discuss contemporary issues surrounding race and our justice system. There are common through-lines across our history that will aid us for the trials ahead.
I think what he means by "good trouble" is protesting and demonstrating. While he himself was a U.S. State Representative, his involvement with the Selma to Montgomery March shows that he believes in some degree that going against the system is a practice that supports and fosters democracy. He does assert that "The vote is most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society" but when efforts are made to suppress that, you must take risks to ensure that the voice of protest is heard.
To answer your last question... I think writing and listening are my highest callings in life. There's a lot of ways to change the world and leave an impact on people and I believe that these skills are my best ways of doing so. I haven't got the faintest clue how best to channel them in order to help people and promote a less repressive world, I just know that realizing both of these to the greatest extent that I can will do the world a greater service than if I tried to assert myself in a role I could not thrive in.
Hey Scott, I really enjoyed your questions and I'm glad I have a lot to choose from. When it comes to political topics I try to stray as far away from them as possible because as someone that's trying to become a writer it can greatly hinder your audience if you lean to far one way or too far the other way. I tend to try to stay in the middle when it comes to most political opinions because then you aren't just blatantly disregarding a whole section of people that could potentially read your work. I also tend to have a stronger knack for fictional writing and that's where I don't have to worry about putting in political topics unless the story I'm writing takes place during some particular time or place. I also think in this era there is definitely a risk of bringing up the wrong crowd and getting in "trouble" with different communities or political ideologies and it's easy to "cancel" people now because you just have to post it somewhere and if you have enough followers, potentially thousands to millions of people could see what they believe to be facts but in reality are not. A recent example of this public backlash would be the Covington Catholic kid that blocked the path of the Native American on the Lincoln monument and the national media made up blatant lies about the kid, Nick Sandmann. He was then able to sue these different news organizations for their lies and got a lot of money from it but his name was still tarnished and he will forever be known as that kid.
ReplyDeleteThis reading is so prominant today. I found it super easy to read and it was interesting that the author had his own "George Floyd" This just goes to show that with the progress we've made as a nation, there is still much work to be done in the areas where nothing has changed. So what I learned from this piece is that there is always room for change and peace, and improvements to be made to better the lives for all people. I feel that the author urges all people to make improvments because marginalized communities also depend on allies. change cannot be made without the efforts of all people.
ReplyDeleteSorry this is a little late, I posted it before I went to work yesterday morning but it didn't post (?) for some reason and I didn't realize it until I came back to read everyone's responses..
ReplyDeleteHey Scott! Great post and questions.
For your question #3, I think he is referring to “you” as all people, especially young people, to anyone reading what he wrote and taking it to heart. Change starts small with a single person before bigger steps can be taken and if every one of us individually takes that step to redeem, then bigger steps and actions can be taken. It's also important for young people to be involved in supporting their beliefs and standing up for them.
For question #4, I think if you want to write to inform without triggering backlash, you might have to use your position to inform others first to help others see the problems without being seen as biased or having an “agenda” that someone could attack, in other words, you’re there to lay the groundwork and inform them before working with them to help them see the issues, rather than just someone they see as completely biased in the opposite opinion. I feel like setting up the groundwork to inform them without forcing or taking a firm side might help to not trigger backlash as much.
For question #7, the highest calling of my heart is to help others through acts of love and make the world a kinder, beautiful better place for everyone to live in. As a writer, I have a lot of power to write about and influence others in bringing about change as well as learning from the past to help us have a better future. We can learn so much from the past and take it in hand as a reminder of what we should be doing to fix the problems we have and make life better for everyone.
I'd like to address these questions specifically because I've pondered them quite a lot in my own time.
ReplyDeleteIn our polarized era, is it possible to write about controversial issues without triggering a vicious backlash? How might we try to do this?
I think this is where language and creative approaches to articulating ones viewpoint can be very helpful. I'm a firm believer that being direct and honest is always the best route to go, but in heated conversation, or perhaps in conversation with someone completely different from you it is wise to implement these strategies, because not everyone best recieves information so directly. They don't want to feel ashamed if their viewpoint changes. And in fact getting someone to the point of possibly even considering an opposing view can be almost impossible at times. But by being gentle, also listening, unwavering in your ideas (unless of course the person you are conversing with has started to change your own perceptions), and showing respect for their ideas as well. It may not be an immediate change of heart or perspective but my creatively approaching a situation and monitoring your own language it can create a safe space for all diverse perspectives and conversation.
5. Lewis encourages us to get into “good trouble, necessary trouble.” What does he mean by this? What does “good trouble, necessary trouble” mean to you? Any examples?
Good trouble to me, means not being afraid to speak up or facilitate change if it is needed even when it may upset others or cause any kind of ruckus. For instance, if your mother yelled at you because you took cookies out of the cookie jar without asking and before dinner you may be scolded or sent to your room. You knew you would get in trouble, but what your mom might not see or know is that you took those cookies to give to your friend and next door neighbor who's family life is not as prosperous as your own, and you knew they didn't have much, if anything, to eat.
This example highlights how I feel about good trouble. It is perhaps going forth with an action that you know will face criticism or consequence, but with conviction and bravery you push forth because you know the reasons for your actions are far greater of importance than the ramifications you may face.