Things I’ll Miss About the ATL: Walking With The Wind

All good things must come to an end. I’m leaving Atlanta at the end of May, so a lot of posts in the next few months are going to be dedicated to “Things I’ll miss about the ATL.”

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John Lewis, former chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the Civil Rights Movement and a US Congressman representing Atlanta for decades (I’m proud to say I live in his district), is the man (even though he’s made some shitty votes in the past. The Patriot Act, John? Seriously?).

His memoir, Walking With the Wind, is probably the best book on the Civil Rights Movement that I’ve read. His recollections are so vivid that he really does transport you back right into the thick of it. Living in Atlanta has been very special to me in terms of the history of the place. I mean, some of SNCC’s meeting notes and agendas are actually archived in the libraries and museums out here, which is awesome. The book is dope and I highly recommend it. My only knock against it might be that he puts a little too much faith in the Democratic Party than I would. Still,  I think studying this time period in US history is very relevant in thinking about our organizing strategies today