Congressman John Lewis answers a question posed by Dr. Valerie Dotson while his co-author Andrew Aydin listens. (photo by Bill Roa)
Civil Rights leader and U.S. Congressman John Lewis spoke at Georgia Perimeter as part of the GPC Reads program. (photo by Bill Roa)
Georgia Perimeter students wait in line for John Lewis and Andrew Aydin to sign their copies of “March: Part One.” (photo by Bill Roa)
John Lewis draws large crowd at GPC Reads event
The line was long, and it was hot.
But that didn’t stop the more than 200 Georgia Perimeter students, faculty and staff who waited patiently outside the Clarkston Campus Cole Auditorium to have the book, “March: Part One,” signed by U.S. Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin.
The graphic novel, told in a black-and-white comic-book style, is the first in a trilogy about Lewis’ introduction to non-violent protest and the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement.
The authors came to Georgia Perimeter Sept. 3 to discuss the book and their inspiration to make it into a graphic novel. The book is this year’s GPC Reads selection and was read by a number of the college’s English and history classes. The program was moderated by English faculty members Dr. Mary Helen O’Connor and Dr. Valerie Dotson.
The program began just after 11:30 a.m., but the Cole Auditorium was packed to capacity by 11:15. The presentation was live-streamed to the Clarkston library auditorium, as well as to the Decatur, Dunwoody and Newton campuses, allowing almost 900 people to view and hear the speakers.
During his talk, Lewis emphasized the need to vote and encouraged students to persevere with their education. “The [ability] to vote is precious; the vote is sacred,” he said.