Congressman John Lewis on the Importance of Working Together: A Facing History and Ourselves Podcast

In this Facing History and Ourselves podcast, we will hear from U.S. Congressman and civil rights movement veteran John Lewis speaking about the responsibility of citizens in a democracy.

Congressman John Lewis from Georgia has been called "one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced." He has dedicated his life to trying to build what he calls "The Beloved Community." In this excerpt from an address to Facing History staff and supporters, Lewis draws a parallel between his family's efforts to keep his aunt’s house grounded during a severe storm and the efforts of American citizens to work together.

Click on the audio controls at the bottom of this page to hear the 6-minute podcast.

Related Facing History and Ourselves Resources:

• Profile Page: Facing History and Ourselves has created a profile page on Congressman Lewis.

• Study Guide: Eyes on the Prize Study Guide. Eyes on the Prize is a landmark television documentary that offers important lessons about the power of ordinary citizens to shape democracy. Congressman Lewis wrote the forward for this study guide created by Facing History and Ourselves. The guide provides teachers with an invaluable resource that brings this documentary into the classroom and insures its legacy in the education of our students. The study guide is available for free download.

• Video Clip: Congressman Lewis Talks about Bringing the Country Together (and his Aunt's Shotgun House). The audio from this clip was used in this podcast.

• Video Clip: Congressman Lewis Speaks about Non-violence.

• Video Clip: Congressman Lewis Describes Sit-Ins.

• Video Clip: Congressman Lewis Remembers Freedom Rides.

• Video Clip: Congressman Lewis on the Civil Rights Movement.  

•  Teaching Unit: Choices in Little Rock is a teaching unit that focuses on efforts to desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. The unit explores civic choices - the decisions people make as citizens in a democracy. Those decisions, both then and now, reveal that democracy is not a product but a work in progress, a work that is shaped in every generation by the choices that we make about ourselves and others.

Background music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons "Attribution 3.0."