John Lewis-Walking With the Wind

When Lewis reflects on his time at American Baptist, he discusses how he soaked in his education, specifically when learning about different philosophers.  He talks about one of his professors's vibrant lectures  and how everything he learned made so much sense to him, as if everything clicked.  He notes how his professor used the example of segregation as a thesis, the struggle to destroy segregation as the antithesis and integration as the synthesis.  He says, "out of a creative conflict-a creative schism, a division and a tension between what is and what should not be-comes the process that results in what should be." This instantly reminded me of Douglass and the idea that with knowledge comes intellectual freedom.  With more knowledge and education, you realize to not accept everything as is.  The ability to transcend the thoughts of the time, society's status quo, and have the courage to act out is fueled by the realization of learning that change needs to come.  Transformations in society and history come from this concept of knowledge and awareness.  I feel like this is at the heart of the civil rights movement.  Knowing more about the world, history and society and being able to stand up for something unprecedented gave the leaders of the civil rights movement tools to have courage and boldness to stand up for themselves, their families, their race and what was right.