There is a sense of the collective in the word together. But that plural sense in You and Our transforms into the singular when he speaks in the first person: Though I am gone I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart.. Your teacher may ask you to submit your Venn diagram, or record your answers to the questions on an exit ticket. You can lose it. With that said, throughout the essay "Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation", we can understand his message for why the society of today needs "to answer the highest calling of our hearts and stand up for what they truly believe." John Lewis, the iconic civil-rights leader and congressman who died on July 17, wrote an extraordinary essay shortly before he died and requested that it was published todaythe day when hell be put to rest at a funeral service in Atlanta. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Though I am gone, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe.https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/opinion/j. I just had to see and feel it for myself that, after many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. In his final essay before his death (and released today, the day of his funeral), John Lewis wrote: While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. These powerful books begin with a young John Lewis participating in the historic march held on March 7, 1965, from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Some students, particularly students of color, could be uncomfortable viewing images or reading about these unjust acts (including one use of a racial slur), and teachers should be aware of the SEL needs of their students and consider scaffolding the Learning Resources as needed. Create your next comic panel, using examples from March and the BLM website to illustrate how recent events during the summer of 2020 across the United States exemplify Lewis vision of the Beloved Community. This WikiHow may be helpful to get you started. This truly shows that what happened in the past doesnt only happen in the past. Digital tools such as Padlet or Jamboard may also be used for collaboration. He got the chance to participate with MLK Jr. in real time in the real world and not just getting to hear stories of the past. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring. The demonstrators leading the peaceful protest were confronted at the Benjamin Pettus Bridge by heavily armed state troopers, a day which is remembered as Bloody Sunday.. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. Like so many young people today, I was searching for a way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. University of Richmond Digital Scholarship Lab, 2015. http://historyengine.richmond.edu/episodes/view/6308. This text is part of the Teaching the Movement Text Library and aligns with Summary Objective 14.A. Unchecked, unrestrained violence and government-sanctioned terror had the power to turn a simple stroll to the store for some Skittles or an innocent morning jog down a lonesome country road into a nightmare. If you have not yet read the final column of John Lewis, you can read it here. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. While he did see change many years ago, we are now fighting for similar causes again and through his use of saying the truth is still marching on he really makes readers feel the weight of this movement on society. Oppression - using authority, power or privilege in an unjust or cruel manner, Redeem - to make amends or reparations for past injustices, to gain or regain ownership. John Lewis: Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation. Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. Teacher Tip: Think about what students should be able to KNOW, UNDERSTAND and DO at the conclusion of this learning experience. If your teacher or parents allow, you might create your own wish and add it to your comic. Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation. New York Times. Hes motivating the readers and the people fighting for this movement to continue, to bear the hardships, but to overcome them. UNC-Chapel Hill English professor, author Randall Kenan dies at 57 While having to fight for civil rights and equality is extremely hard, he had Martin Luther King Jr. giving him even more motivation to continue to fight. He was referring to the Black Lives Matter movement that grew in the days and weeks until his passing. It isnt always easy and there will always be setbacks, but overcoming them is where people will thrive. Morgan Freeman Reads the Last Words of John Lewis, Trymaine Lee: The late civil rights icon and Georgia representative John Lewis was laid to rest on Thursday. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. The work, titled Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation and published by The New York Times, is an impassioned plea to Americans to reroute the history of the country by standing up for what they believe in and voting. This metaphor seems like one of the most powerful ones he has used in his writing. What impresses me is how direct these two sentences are. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.