Never Back Down

Dear John Lewis, 

After finishing the book, I realized I knew the history we were taught from the text books and the facts but not the true emotion and violence that tookplace during this time period. I am glad we read this book because it was truly eye opening. It shows what the goverment and cops and Whites put the African Americans through. Not only did they not have certain rights but they were continuously being threatened, beaten, mistreated and taken to jail, just because of the color of their skin. Also, this book showed me how if you were  White and protested with the Blacks you were treated as one. 

 Multiple people were shot at or killed in the last part of the book for just trying to Defend for their own rights. Because their skin was a different color people believed that they shouldn’t be equal. African Americans including yourself had to go through so much just to be able to vote. 

It is sad to me that it took peoples lives and people continuously getting beaten and going to jail just to have equal rights as other citizens in America. Although I truly admire their determination of never backing down even when violence was brought upon them. #Neverbackdown #johnlewis #Civilrights #equality 

Sincerely, 

Lexie Daniel

Epitome of Persistence

Dear John Lewis,

    The Epitome of American Democracy took place and you and Dr. King went to support the Delegates. Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer did her testimony and looked the nation. He and eighteen others traveled 26 miles to Indiana to try and vote, only for two of them to take the literacy test. She was then told to withdraw and leave and she refused to withdraw. Later tag tonight  Mr. & Mrs. Robert Tuckers house had 16 bullets shot at their house and two girls were shot in Ruleville. Mrs. Fannie was sent to jail and beaten multiple times. The president knew caught by their wrong doings and tried to cover up what had happened. White House started to lose the South. Senator Humphrey said all he could do was pray and hope for the best. Mrs Fannie told him ” You are afraid to do whats RIGHT.” A meeting was then called and only 2 MFDP Delegates would be recognized some took that as a win, others did not. All 68 Delegates rejected the proposal. There was then a protest but was shortly shut down by police. Many people came together once again to try an vote and waited outside the courthouse. It became such a big protest schools joined in and even children 9 years young. They were all under arrest and told they could sing to the jail. To me this horrible that would even trying take children who are not even in double digits to jail just because they were fighting for their own rights. If I got to ask a question it would be how do you keep being so strong and taking the beatings and jail time constantly. Back then you would get arrested for protesting but now protesting is apart of everyones right which is a solution already. #Freedomtoprotest #civilrights #neverbackdown #votersrights

Sincerely,  Lexie Daniel

Relentless

9 October 2019

Dear John Lewis,

The pages 25-80 really showed what people had to go through during the Civil Rights movement. The overall goal was for African Americans to be able to vote. Because in 1963, they made it almost impossible for African American to even register, only 2.1 percent were able to vote. You are the leader of the SNCC and wanted them to join in on the nonviolent protests… when you said “One man, One vote.” Freedom Day took place on October 7th 1963,  where African Americans waited outside the court house to be able to register but deputies shortly showed up and told everyone, “If any of y’all leave the line… you are not getting back in.” This meant everyone waiting could not use the bathroom nor get something to drink for hours on hours. You saw it as a victory because some people were able too register and there wasn’t any mass arrest. Then the freedom vote was created to stage an election for African Americans to give the right for both black men and women to be able too vote. Fannie Lou Hamer was fired, arrested, and beaten for trying to register in Mississippi. JFK was killed and Lyndon Baines Johnson took over as president and was still proceeding for the Civil Rights Bill. Three of freedom volunteers didn’t show up and go missing as time passed people figured out that police had an idea of what happened to them. 

This whole section made me feel sympathy for everyone who took a stand during the Civil Rights movement because no matter how many times you got arrested or beaten you kept pushing and never gave it up. I truly look up to each and every person who had the courage and fight in them to get the Civil Rights Bill to pass. The crazy thing is in 1963, people had issues with voting and having their voice being heard and in 2016 the United States still doesn’t have a voice because although the people did not vote for trump the government did and he got elected. So to fix this problem every vote should be calculated and the governments vote should only be one vote just like any other regular citizens.  #Oneman #Onevote #RIPJFK #SNCC #3missingvolunteers #Allvoicesneedtobeheard

Sincerely Yours,

Lexie Daniel

John Lewis Letter

Dear John Lewis,

     On September 15, 1963 it was just a regular Sunday in Birmingham Alabama. Families and children went to church just like any other Sunday. At the 16th Street Baptist Church, the main service was about to start so the Sunday school teacher went to get the girls out of the bathroom. Then … BOOM! The girls bathroom was destroyed by a bomb. The four girls who were nervous for their first game tomorrow will now not be playing anymore. The names of the deceased girls were Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair. Also, twenty-one other children were injured from this massacre. The day of this event you were called down to Birmingham. The killing did not stop there, it continued as you were on your way to Birmingham. White teenagers went around celebrating the deaths of the four innocent girls and harassing African American teenagers. They actually shot and killed 13 year old, Virgil Lamar Ware. Police arrived to the scene and ended up shooting the other teenage boy, 16 years old, Jonny Robinson. The policeman later claimed it was an accident. The leaders of the civil rights movement including yourself came together to configure a way for everyone to be heard without violence. That was when the magnificent plan of the March was created. 

     Furthermore, after reading this; I was disgusted that any human being could hurt innocent children with no remorse. My heart went out more to the families who lost their children at such a young age, no mother nor father should have to go through that pain. I had one lingering question that stuck with me which was, how in 1963 a cop “accidentally” shot an African American and this is continuously happening and in our current society? The government has put cameras on cops in their cars but that has not stopped the killings. I believe there is no accident in shooting someone multiple times. I think if a cop kills someone they should be treated like any other murder case and serve jail time and not have any time taken off their sentence just because they are a cop. In my opinion this would stop a plethora of “accidental” killings. 

Sincerely, Lexie Daniel

#Innocentlivestaken #Restinpeace #Cannottfeelsafeinthehouseofgod