The Ferguson Forum -- Comics and Civil Rights

Comic Books and the Civil Rights Movement… I was taken aback when I first read the title of this program because no two subjects seem more incongruous. How could a literary format reserved mainly for superheroes have had an effect on one of the most far-reaching movements of the 20th Century? Find out the role that comics played with a co-author of March, which depicts the life story of U.S. Congressman John Lewis of Georgia, a pillar of the civil rights movement on Saturday, October 5 at 2 p.m. at the Main Library's Third Floor Auditorium.

  Andrew Aydin, a member of Lewis' staff and co-author of the book, will talk about the history of the 1956 comic book MLK & The Montgomery Story, and its influence in the creation of March, which is the first installment of a planned series on the life of Lewis.

I read the graphic novel recently and was so moved by the story of Lewis' early life that I've been telling everyone to read it.  It's a good read for adults, and especially appealing to kids as young as middle school age. Born the son of sharecroppers in rural Alabama, Lewis went on to become the president of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee and, eventually, a U.S. Congressman from Georgia. He addressed the crowd at the 1963 March on Washington when he was just 23 years old.

His decision to incorporate his incredible life story into a graphic novel came in 2008, when Lewis reminisced with some staffers, including Aydin, about the role a comic book played in awakening his consciousness about the civil rights movement and how to protest non-violently to bring about change in the world. Aydin, a comic book enthusiast, convinced Lewis to put his life story to both words and pictures and together with Nate Powell, they created the book. Today, March is number one on The New York Times bestseller list, in the graphic novel category. I can't wait for the next installment of this incredible story.

There will be a book signing and sale after the event.