Dear Representative John Lewis,

     Reading the first few pages of March: Book Three was a captivating experience. From the get-go, the audience witnesses four young girls stressed out over their parts in a performance before Sunday School. This small dialogue serves to help us connect, albeit for a short time, to the students to humanize them. Before we can process this dialogue, we are hit with the explosion of the Church, as claustrophobic smoke envelopes the entirety of the page. Soon all that’s left is a small circle of light surrounded by a much larger vignette of black. We continue to see the horrid actions of white supremacists, as shown by the illustrations of the killings of Virgil Lamar Ware and Johnny Robinson. We are introduced to the leading players of the Civil Rights Movement, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Julian Bond, and Diane Nash. We then see you, John Lewis, shaking hands with former President Barack Obama.

     As I read this excerpt, I was horrified at the actions of these white supremacists. The audience was led to believe that the Church was a safe place, free of negativity, yet we witnessed four innocent children blown up due to the actions of a few. I am curious as to why the bombing occurred only a few pages into the book, rather than after the introduction of the various key players. What was the significance of introducing Dr. King, Julian Bond, etc. in a time of immense crisis? In order to fight and prevent history from repeating itself, we must educate the public about the past. Books like yours serve as a reminder of these horrid events, and the solutions proposed in the past. Education is imperative for the betterment of society.

Thank You,

Naveen Thourani

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