Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement

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interesting and great for middle schoolers

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FREEDOM RIDERS: JOHN LEWIS AND JIM ZWERG ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT by Ann Bausum, National Geographic, January 2006"Why did I participate in the Freedom Rides? The answer is simple. It was the right thing to do."--Jim Zwerg"What's that I hear now ringing in my earsI've heard that sound beforeWhat's that I hear now ringing in my earsI hear it more and moreIt's the sound of freedom callingRinging up to the skyIt's the sound of the old ways a-fallingYou can hear it if you tryYou can hear it if you try"--Phil OchsDuring the spring of 1961, Jim Zwerg boarded a train for Nashville, Tennessee where he was signed up to participate in an exchange program at Fisk University. He would end up meeting John Lewis and getting involved in the Nashville Student Movement. That May, ignoring his mother's pleas not to do so, Zwerg would join a group of brave young people and take a bus ride to end segregation. That bus ride nearly cost Jim Zwerg his life when he and the other so-called Freedom Riders were set upon by a mob of hundreds that had been lying in wait for their arrival at the Montgomery, Alabama Greyhound station:"Mob members threw him over a railing, knocked him to the ground, kicked him in the back, and stepped on his face. Zwerg blacked out, oblivious to the continued assault. Attackers pulled him into a headlock and punched his face. Women pounded him with their handbags. When he slumped to the ground, people kicked him in the groin, ribs, and face, then hauled him up to repeat the cycle."Hours later Zwerg was filmed for the national evening news lying in his hospital bed. In a statement to the cameras that he wouldn't remember giving, due to his injuries that included a concussion, he insisted:" 'Segregation must be stopped. It must be broken down. We're going on to New Orleans no matter what. We're dedicated to this. We'll take hitting. We'll take beating."We're willing to accept death.' "Zwerg's determination caused many people to drop what they were doing and join the Movement.With my having written several years ago about Christine Hill's book, JOHN LEWIS: FROM FREEDOM RIDER TO CONGRESSMAN, I already knew much about JohnLewis, the black kid who grew up picking cotton and preaching to his family's farmyard animals in the segregated South. John Lewis, who I am excited to periodically catch a glimpse of on TV doing his work as a member of the US House of Representatives, was sitting next to Jim Zwerg on that bus heading into Montgomery.But I knew nothing of Zwerg, the white kid from Wisconsin who grew up -- as I did -- so utterly removed from people of color and from the horrible daily indignities that Lewis and millions of others regularly faced. At the time that John Lewis, Jim Zwerg and so many others were riding that bus and risking their lives, the Civil Rights Movement was, for me, something scary and confusing on the evening news."Teach your children well"--Graham NashAmidst the pages and between the lines of FREEDOM RIDERS, Ann Bausum's latest stellar book on the lesser-known American heroes behind our nation's most important human rights movements, I found myself anxiously seeking to discover any lessons that might be found in regard to how Jim Zwerg was raised, that he was willing to selflessly risk his life for the sake of people with whom he seemed to have so little in common; that it was clear to him that he would do the right thing."Great moments in any life may grow from the smallest of good intentions. I find it's the day-to-day acts of kindness, caring, giving, and loving that really make a difference in peoples' lives. You don't have to participate in a sit-in or go on a Freedom Ride to make a difference. You can help make our society and our world better. Look around you. See what needs to be done in your school, neighborhood, city, or state. Make a decision to do something about it. Then take action. The seemingly small 'first step' you take today may have a profound and lasting impact for good in someone's life."--Jim ZwergPart of my desire to really understand the coming of age of Jim Zwerg results from my having been listening to eighth graders here in Sebastopol who are presently studying Mildred Taylor's CSK Medal-winning masterpiece, THE LAND. As my English teaching wife Shari attempts to connect the dots by instigating discussions about the nature of tolerance and how the story of Paul Edward Logan and Mitchell Thomas relates to Birmingham AND Belfast AND Bagdad AND being kind to all of the other kids on campus, whether they are seen as trendy and popular or not, I am hearing from many of these adolescents a sense of helplessness, cynicism, and doubt that their generation might be the one to push humankind over the edge into a more tolerant world. I am not hearing the sounds of freedom calling that might inspire confidence that these kids are growing in the direction of doing the right thing.Sure, it is developmentally appropriate for adolescents at this age to be cynical and focused upon themselves as they strive to become individuals and develop their own identities. But it is equally true that teens exposed to stories of Jim Zwerg, John Lewis, and Paul Edward Logan will better understand how anyone can be a hero by making a difference, whether large or small, that small differences can send ripples out in all directions, and that making a difference -- making the world a kinder, more caring, giving, loving place -- is one of the most fulfilling things one can strive to achieve.Ann Bausum has done such an effective job of relating the stories of John Lewis and Jim Zwerg that it makes me wish for a chance to someday personally meet these guys.In 80 pages containing several dozen photographs, a timeline, a resource guide, and an unforgettable true story of heroism amidst the making of American history, FREEDOM RIDERS: JOHN LEWIS AND JIM ZWERG ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT is a book that should be read and booktalked by librarians and teachers everywhere.

Freedom Riders was a great story about two men who boarded a bus during the Civil Rights Movement ready to spread their idealism, courage and beliefs in justice. This story was very inspirational, I learned tons about the Civil Rights movement that happened in the 50's and 60's. The use of pictures in the story really added to the value of the story and helped protray the reality of the entire situation and what these two men stepped up against all to defend the rights of colored people in America. Ann Bausum really connects to all readers just by simply capturing both the white and black perspectives and segregation through the eyes of the Freedom Riders. She also takes a story that is usually shared within a section of a chapter of the history books, disects the truth behind everything and unwinds the ideas into a story filled with compelling detail. I would really recommend this book for young readers who are studying this part of America's history.

Bausum's ability to get to the heart of Civil Rights issues shines in this book. She does not shy away from the reasons for the Freedom Rides - and writes about an often chaotic time in a way that those who did not live through it can not only understand, but can also get an emotional sense of the time as well. Give this to upper elementary/high school students. Great for a classroom library - or for a new teacher gift.

Freedom Riders was a very inspirational book! I learned tons about the Civil Rights movement that happened in the 50's and 60's, definitely more than I learned in history class. It was really neat the see this story though two completely different pairs of eyes. It shows the struggle of a white man and a black man who wanted integration of bus stations and interstate travel. They fought hard for their beliefs and it was amazing reading all the things these boys went through together. I think that this would be a very good book for high school students to read, it shows a lot about the history of the United States. At the end of the book she interviewed many people that went through these same struggles, this really brought the book to life! It was surprising to see that a lot of them were scarred by their participation in the Civil Rights Movement, both physically and mentally.