Julian Bond And The Civil Rights Movement

If you ask a person on the street to name all of the civil rights activists that they know, you would most likely get common answers--Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and maybe even John F. Kennedy. People are not as educated as they should be on the Civil Rights Movement. Georgia, a state whose civil rights history is long and gruesome, does not require that eighth graders learn about two of the movement’s most notable activists--Julian Bond and John Lewis. Students are not learning about these two figures, but they are learning many unimportant topics. Based on their tireless efforts for the Civil Rights Movement, John Lewis and Julian Bond need to be included in Georgia’s curriculum.
Julian Bond was deeply rooted in the Civil Rights Movement.
He led the demonstration known as “Bloody Sunday,” which was a highly publicized march that was subject to police brutality and led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1965. He led the Voter Education Project (VEP), an organization that provided information about voting and encouraged black people to vote. His leadership added several million minorities to the voter rolls. Lewis defied segregation on public transportation and became one of the original thirteen Freedom Riders. He is currently a Georgia Representative and has been for nearly thirty years.
John Lewis is connected to many of the Georgia Studies objectives, yet he is not one himself. He is considered one of the “Big Six” civil rights activists, along with Martin Luther King, Jr. He assisted in the planning of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and made a speech there as well. He is one of the founders of SNCC, and he was their chairperson from 1963 until 1966. As their leader, he organized voter registrations and community action programs, among other things. Lewis is tied to a number of events and leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, and should be included in the state
Both supported education: John Lewis sought to improve all education, and Ellis Arnall improved state colleges. They both made great strides to improve the economy. Lewis made measures to end poverty, while Arnall paid off the state’s debt and made it easier and more rewarding for teachers to retire. Both leaders supported the right for everyone to vote; Arnall repealed the poll tax and Lewis ensured multiple renewals of the Voting Rights Act. John Lewis made many of the same points in office as Ellis Arnall did, yet he is not in the state curriculum like Arnall