Though I was surrounded by two loving parents, plenty of brothers, sisters and cousins, their love could not protect me from the unholy oppression waiting just outside that family circle. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me. 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. Those words inspire. He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. When you see something that is not right, you must say something. Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. If we are to survive as one unified nation, we must discover what so readily takes root in our hearts that could rob Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina of her brightest and best, shoot unwitting concertgoers in Las Vegas and choke to death the hopes and dreams of a gifted violinist like Elijah McClain. Now is the time to embrace his words and to use them as a catalyst for change. Civil Rights Movement Race & Ethnicity. Please share it with us @newamericanhist and use #GoodTrouble! He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. Fellowship of Reconciliation. Your teacher may ask you to record your answers to the questions on an exit ticket. This teaches us that if we dont know the history, we dont know the true meaning of what were fighting against and how it started. Civil Rights Movement Veterans, 1957. https://www.crmvet.org/docs/ms_for_comic.pdf. Return to the essay, and Rep. John Lewis description of the way Dr. King influenced his life as an advocate for social justice. Though I am gone, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. 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. You must do something. Lewis would be the last living speaker at that great event. What outcomes or lasting changes would you hope to see your generation accomplish? Use your Reflective Journal to help you brainstorm and create a cover for your comic. When you see something that is not right, you must say something. Rewordify helps make a complex text more accessible for those reading at a lower Lexile level while still providing a greater depth of knowledge. You can lose it. Robert Shetterly's Americans Who Tell The Truth. Home | Americans Who Tell The Truth, 2020. https://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org. Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation, Rep. John Lewis visits Black Lives Matter Plaza with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Image courtesy of Twitter, Mayor Muriel Bowser. Though I was surrounded by two loving parents, plenty of brothers, sisters and cousins, their love could not protect me from the unholy oppression waiting just outside that family circle.