Last week, Donald Trump tweeted spurious claims about Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), writing that the activist, who’s been repeatedly arrested for protesting, was “All talk, talk, talk ― no action or results.”
“Sad!” the president-elect continued.
If you’re interested in reading about Lewis’ past accomplishments, there’s plenty of available material. But he also continues to spread his message today, via both words and action. Last year, March: Book Three, a graphic novel co-written by Lewis, was awarded the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, a feat that he responded to with a speech about being turned away by a public library when he was 16, only to continue his quest to educate himself.
Since Trump’s accusations, sales of Lewis’ book have gone up, earning it several of the bestselling slots on Amazon.
If that’s not evidence enough of tangible influence, maybe this is: Today, March: Book Three received another award, one that will put the graphic novel in the hands of young readers. Ron Charles reported for The Washington Post that the book was given the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature, awarded by We Need Diverse Books. As a result, 2,000 copies will be donated to “U.S. schools with limited budgets.”
Lewis told Charles: “It is my hope that [the award] will inspire more people to read and to use their pen to inspire another generation to speak up and speak out.”
Talk, action, results: Lewis gracefully demonstrates how the three can be interwoven.
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