What is the main message of Across That Bridge?

The main message of Across That Bridge is the power of embracing love, forgiveness, and nonviolence to create lasting change.

Who is the author of Across That Bridge?

The author of Across That Bridge is John Lewis.

Politics

Across That Bridge Book Summary - Across That Bridge Book explained in key points

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Across That Bridge summary

Name: Across That Bridge
Rating: 4.5 (60 reviews)
Author: John Lewis

John Lewis

A Vision for Change and the Future of America

4.5 (60 ratings)

21 mins

Brief summary

Across That Bridge by John Lewis is a memoir that shares the power of peaceful protesting. Lewis shares his civil rights movement stories along with the importance of love and nonviolence in today's world.

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Black Lives Matter Autobiographies

Table of Contents

Across That Bridge
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What’s in it for me? A heartfelt look at the lessons we can draw from the civil rights movement.

John Lewis was born into a family of sharecroppers in the South during the Jim Crow era, and rose to help shape the civil rights movement alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. From then on he was a leader. He peacefully led activists across the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama, where they faced hundreds of armed state troopers. He represented Atlanta as a US Congressman for over three decades, until his death in July 2020. At his funeral, Barack Obama eulogized Lewis by saying, “I, like so many Americans, owe a great debt to John Lewis and his forceful vision of freedom.”

In these blinks, that vision of freedom is illuminated with John Lewis’s own words. And with electrifying examples from his extraordinary life, you’ll learn the foundational tenets of all true activists. In a world that seems more divided than ever, it’s a message we need to heed.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how John Lewis was able to stay true to his commitment to nonviolence through vicious assault;
why Lewis felt no fear facing down those Alabama state troopers on the bridge; and
what inspired a former Klansman to apologize to Lewis 40 years after the freedom rides.

The civil rights movement shows how nothing can stop the power of people determined to make a difference.

On March 7, 1965, John Lewis led a group of peaceful protestors onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. He and the other activists planned on marching to the state capitol as a protest against voter discrimination. But as he came to the top of the bridge, hundreds of Alabama state troopers – and deputized citizens – came into view. The troopers and the enraged posse, armed with firearms, tear gas, and nightsticks, had no intention of letting the protestors get through.

Dozens of peaceful demonstrators were brutally beaten, and several were hospitalized. Lewis himself suffered a fractured skull and bore scars for the rest of his life.

It was one of the darkest episodes of the American civil rights movement. But for Lewis, all of the uncertainty and suffering was worth it. Since that awful day, America has made great progress toward bridging its racial divide. And the movement set a precedent for meeting today’s challenges.

The key message here is: The civil rights movement shows how nothing can stop the power of people determined to make a difference.

The civil rights movement was just one step on the long road to America’s spiritual destiny. The work is far from done.

Lewis, who later became a US representative, believed that our modern era has been marked by a unique hostility. At times, for him, the rancor seemed even worse than it was in the 1960s.

Remember when we thought Barack Obama’s 2008 election meant we’d entered a post-racial America? No one believes that anymore. Not in the wake of attempts to ruin the president’s legacy, militarize the police, and weaponize the government to serve as an agent of oppression. In fact, the lowest point of decorum that Lewis ever witnessed was during a State of the Union address when President Obama was called a liar.

But people seem to be waking up. They’re reengaging with their responsibility for the democratic process. They’re remembering, or realizing for the first time, that we are one family, one people. This reawakening reminded Lewis of the civil rights movement – the mighty wind that blew through America and transformed the moral character of the nation.

This history is an important reminder that things may seem dark, like they did when Lewis stood on top of that bridge. But these dark times are really just a starting point for something better.

Faith in your convictions renders your opponents powerless.

Have you ever believed something to be true with every fiber of your being? That’s what John Lewis called faith. Faith in your convictions is one of the most important qualities an activist can possess. Having faith is to be as confident in your dreams as you are that the sky is blue and the water is wet. Nothing could make you doubt that your convictions are true.

Lewis saw his fair share of being cracked on the head with billy clubs, trampled by horses, menaced by dogs, sprayed with fire hoses, clapped in handcuffs, and thrown in prison. But his faith enabled him to stick to his convictions. He never wavered in his belief in nonviolence or in his faith that we are one human family, regardless of race.

The struggle for voting rights in Selma demonstrates the power of patience.

“Patience is a virtue.” You’ve heard the expression, right? Well, it’s especially true in activism.

This might strike you as counterintuitive. After all, in activist communities a lot of emphasis is put on decisive, forceful action, like protests. Waiting is often perceived as a product of defeatist, wishful thinking – or even weakness.

Through careful study, activists can understand their truth – and how to fight for it.

The civil rights movement was a struggle for African Americans’ legal rights. But it was also more than that. It was a commitment to prove a powerful truth: that human equality is an inalienable right.

This right wasn’t immediately accessible to John Lewis. He grew up in the cotton fields of Alabama, where racism was a way of life. So he devoted himself to learning why his world was the way it was. He tore through every newspaper he could find, as well as books on history, political theory, and philosophy.

When you act, make sure your actions manifest the humanity of your cause.

Studying enough to fully own your truth is an achievement in itself. But that’s not enough to have a positive impact on the world. For that you need to act. Specifically, you need to organize actions around inclusion and inspiration, rather than exclusion and alienation.

For Dr. King, faith had no meaning unless it could help resolve his community’s problems. He is still renowned for being a great orator. But his more important accomplishment was that he transcended the pulpit to deliver his message through action. For example, Dr. King was given a cash award when he became the youngest-ever recipient of a Nobel Prize. He used it for the benefit of others within the cause. His generosity exemplifies how to use action to demonstrate the dignity of your truth.

Nonviolent resistance in the face of rage is the ultimate weapon of love.

The twentieth century was the most violent century in contemporary history. From 1900 to 2000, nearly 33 million soldiers and 54 million civilians were killed in war. What’s more, nearly 100 million people died as a result of political oppression. And yet we continue to resort to violence to solve conflicts. What does this say about human progress? Why have we taught ourselves to fly to the moon, but not to get along with each other?

John Lewis believed that peace and love are more powerful than any destructive weapon. During the civil rights movement, John Lewis and his colleagues were warriors for peace. Their weapons were radical love – and the willingness to sacrifice for the betterment of society. Ultimately these weapons brought a nation to its knees.

Letting your own light shine bright is a powerful tool for radical activism.

You might not be surprised to learn that struggle is, well, incredibly difficult. The story of John Lewis’s life is enough to prove that – he was verbally abused, violently assaulted, and arrested 40 times. You might wonder whether you’d be willing to make a similar sacrifice on behalf of humankind. Is it worth the risk for a reward that you might not even live to see? But that’s a question everyone must ask, and answer, for themselves.

John Lewis believed that we all have a spark of the divine within us – our very own light. This spark takes different forms for each of us since we all have different gifts. Lewis used his life as a mission to encourage his fellow humans to fan their own sparks into flames. Our purpose in life, he believed, was to fully express our gifts so that others might see their own potential to shine.

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What is Across That Bridge about?

Across That Bridge (2017) is a poignant account from one of America’s most powerful activists on the qualities that protestors need to embody to bring about lasting change. Activists in the US and all over the world look to the American civil rights movement of the 1960s for inspiration on how to challenge injustice. Here, Lewis uses personal recollections – from freedom rides to bus boycotts to the March on Washington – to impart lessons about nonviolent protest to the next generation of dreamers.

Across That Bridge Review

Across That Bridge (2012) by John Lewis is a thought-provoking exploration of the civil rights movement and the challenges that faced America in the past and still linger today. This book is definitely worth reading because:

It provides insights into the struggles and triumphs of the civil rights era, offering valuable lessons and inspiration for creating positive change in our own lives.
With personal anecdotes, historical facts, and reflections on justice, equality, and love, it stimulates deep contemplation and meaningful conversations.
Through its powerful storytelling and wisdom, the book captivates readers, enabling them to better understand the long journey towards a more equitable society.

Who should read Across That Bridge?

Anyone who wants to speak truth to power
People inspired by the historic victories of the civil rights movement
Those interested in nonviolent communication

About the Author

John Lewis was one of the most influential American activists of the twentieth century. A close friend and colleague of Martin Luther King Jr., as well as one of the original 13 Freedom Riders, Lewis played a crucial role in ending legalized segregation in the South. He also ushered in vital civil rights legislation in the 1960s. He was elected to the US Congress in 1987 and served until his death in 2020.

Categories with Across That Bridge

Politics Society & Culture Biography & Memoir

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