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2.28.26 - Part 2 · Children's Hour

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Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Realized Turner's Story. Hour as a
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Reminder is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. Today we will be reading from various
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books on Black Americans. Your reader today is Diane. We
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will begin with the book You Should Meet John Lewis,
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and it was published by Simon Spotlight, an imprint of
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Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division. It has a copyright
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year of twenty twenty one and it was written by
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Denise Lewis Patrick. Have you ever felt upset when you
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saw someone treated unfairly? Were you brave enough to do
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something to help? You Should Meet John Lewis. When John
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was a small boy, he cared for the chickens on
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his family farm. His family didn't believe the chicken were
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very smart, but John thought they were as special as
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any other animals. He cared even when no one else did.
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As Sean grew up, he cared about how people were
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treated too. He spoke out about laws that treated African
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Americans unfairly. He was brave enough to get into what
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he called good trouble to change those laws. Once you
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meet him, you'll see how he went from that small
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Alabama farm to the halls of the United States Congress
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and changed the world for the better. Chapter one. The
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Boy from Troy. John Robert Lewis was born on February
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twenty first, nineteen forty. His parents lived on a farm
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near Troy, Alabama. He was the third oldest of ten children.
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John's parents were sharecropper farmers, which means they rented someone
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else's land and used it to grow crops, but had
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to pay the land owners a share of the money
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they earned from sewing the crops at harvest time. Often
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the land owners were not fair to the share cropper farmers.
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Sometimes the farmers earned little or nothing after all their
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hard work. Even as a young boy, John felt this
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was not right. John's father saved money for years to
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buy his own farm. When he finally bought a farm,
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the farm house on the land didn't have running water,
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or electricity or an indoor bathroom. Even so, John's mother
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told him it was good for people to have something
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that they can call their own. There was plenty of
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work to do. John and his brothers and sisters had
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to help out. John's first job on the farm at
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just five years old, was taking care of the chickens.
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He fed them and collected their eggs. He cared about
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the baby chicks. John loved those chickens so much that
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he began to talk to them. He even gave them names.
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He told them Bible stories and sometimes sounded like the
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pastor at church. His family thought John might become a
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preacher himself when he grew up, so he had another
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job on the farm, working in the fields picking cotton.
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He did not like it and often complained to his
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parents about the hard work. His parents said that farm
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families needed everyone to work at picking time, even if
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it meant that John would have to miss school for days.
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John didn't like missing school, so he hid at picking time.
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When the bus came, he hopped on to it and
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went to school anyway. His father was not pleased, but
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he let John continue going to school. At school, John
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learned about the world from his teachers. He learned to
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enjoy reading and speaking in front of the class. John's
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family didn't have many books at home, so he went
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to find more at the library. That's when he discovered
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that he could not check out books from the public
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library in Troy. The library, like many other places in
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Troy and the rest of the South was segregated. This
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means that African Americans and white Americans were kept apart.
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African Americans went to separate school rules and lived in
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separate neighborhoods from white Americans, and the Troy Public Library
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was for whites only. Some laws, called Jim Crow laws
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allowed hotels, restaurants, and stores to refuse to serve African
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American people. Those same laws also made it difficult and
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dangerous for African American citizens living in Southern states to vote.
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John k news segregation was wrong. By the time he
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was in high school. He began to dream of changing things.
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He just didn't know how. Then two events gave him hope.
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In nineteen fifty four, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled
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that school segregation was unlawful and had to end. One
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night a year later, he heard an amazing young minister
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on the radio. Was first time John had ever heard
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a preacher speak about ending the unfair treatment or injustice
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that so many African Americans faced in their lives every day.
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That preacher was doctor Martin Luther King Junior, Chapter two,
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Good Trouble and Freedom Writers. John was inspired by Doctor
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King's message of peaceful protests in his work as a preacher.
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After high school, John enrolled in school to become a
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preacher in Nashville, Tennessee. His parents didn't have money to
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pay for his college, so in between classes, John washed
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dishes and cleaned rooms at his school. Don't get into trouble,
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his mother told him. But John wanted to join doctor
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King's new civil rights movement. He wanted to make sure
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that all people were treated equally, no matter what race, gender,
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or religion they were. John wrote to the preacher Doctor King,
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John a bus ticket and asked him to come to Montgomery.
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Doctor King's lawyer and another pastor were there in the
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office when eighteen year old John arrived. He was nervous.
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Doctor King smiled and got up from his desk. Are
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you the boy from Troy, he asked. John relaxed. He
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told them that he wanted to help in segregation. The
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older men explained that even nonviolent protests could be dangerous.
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Civil rights protesters could get arrested. They must be, but
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they might be hurt and their families might be attacked.
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John listened carefully. He had a lot to think about
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back in Nashville, John met many other students who were
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eager to be a part of the civil rights movement.
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John and his friends knew that Jim prolaws might be changing,
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but many people in the South weren't. He was willing
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to get into that kind of trouble that doctor King
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had warned him about because he believed this good trouble
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could change the world. John organized sit in protests as
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segregated lunch counters right in downtown Nashville. A sit in
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protest is when people sit in the seats or on
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the floor of a business or other place and refused
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to move to show that they don't agree with practices
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such as segregation. John and a group of students walked
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into a lunch counter and sat down. The waitress refused
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to serve them because they were African American. She asked
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them to leave. They didn't. They sat for hours. Finally,
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rather than serve the students, the owner closed the lunch counter.
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The next day and the next the students went to
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different lunch counters around the city. No one served them,
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but the protests got attention. Crowds gathered. The students were
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called ugly names, white people throw food and spat at them.
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John's group followed the rules that they had learned in
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their non violent training. Be friendly at all times, sit
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up straight and face the counter, don't hope conversations, don't
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strike back if attacked. Some students were dragged off their
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stools and beaten. Although they did not fight back, police
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came and arrested them. This was the first time John
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went to jail, but it wouldn't be as last. By
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in Troya's parents were not half. His mother was afraid
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for him and afraid for the family, but the sit
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ins showed John that peaceful protests could work. After several
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months of protests, Nashville officials agreed to open their lunch
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counters to everyone. Then John heard about another desegregation plan.
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It was called the Freedom Rides. The US Supreme Court
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had ruled that train and bus stations in every state
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had to allow all Americans to enter freely. There couldn't
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be any more whites, only signs for waiting rooms, bathrooms,
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or water fountains. John became one of hundreds of men, women,
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and teenagers who tested the new law. They came from
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many backgrounds In over forty states, The Freedom Writers rode
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buses into towns across Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. They were
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not welcomed or wanted. They were attacked by white citizens
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and by police. They were pulled out of bus stations.
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One of their buses was even set on fire. Freedom
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writers were thrown into jail again and again. John Lewis
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thought of the journey as writing one step closer to freedom.
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By nineteen sixty three, he had graduated from the seminary,
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but he was no longer planning to be a minister.
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He had chosen his life's work. He had chosen good trouble.
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He called it necessary trouble. Chapter three, Peaceful Protests. When
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John was twenty three, he still believed in the idea
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of peaceful protest. He became the leader of a group
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called the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee. The civil rights
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movement had been successful in any ways, yet there was
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still a big problem. There was no national law to
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protect African Americans' rights. John decided to work with his
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friend Doctor King, Doctor King and others in the movement.
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One of the President, John F. Kennedy, to encourage Congress
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to pass such a law. John became the youngest member
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of the group of leaders called the Big Six, who
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planned a huge piece feel protest march in Washington, d C.
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They hoped that this march would show the President and
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Congress how many Americans believed that this law was necessary.
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Many people would speak out for equal rights that day,
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and John was one of them. On August twenty eighth,
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nineteen sixty three, more than two hundred thousand people marched
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to the area in Washington, d C. Called the National Mall.
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The long day was filled with performances by famous musicians
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and singers, speeches by politicians and civil rights activists, and
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later Martin Luther King Junior. But before doctor King King,
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young John Lewis. The night before the march, the older
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leaders had asked John to rewrite a speech because they
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felt some of his words were too strong. John argued
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he finally agreed to change his speech just before he
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gave it, but he still sounded very much like a preacher.
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When he stood up on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial,
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he told the crowd, we are tired. We want our freedom,
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and we want it now. After the march, President Kennedy
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and Congress worked to pass the Civil Rights Act. However,
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President Kennedy was assassinated killed only three months later in November.
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It was Lyndam B. Johnson, the next president, who signed
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the law in nineteen sixty four. This meant it was
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against the law for states to treat people unfairly based
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on their race. However, some Southern states continued to make
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life difficult for African Americans. They made especially hard for
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African Americans to vote Chapter four. The Edmund Pettus Bridge Alabama, Mississippi,
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and other states forced African Americans to take tests or
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pay extra taxes before they could even register to vote.
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The homes and jobs of African American voters were threatened.
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So John and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, along with
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doctor kingsgroup the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, decided to lead
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another protest. This time, they planned a peaceful march from Selma, Alabama,
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to the state capitol in Montgomery. The governor of Alabama
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supported segregation. He claimed the march was against the law,
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which it was not, and ordered state police to stop
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the event. On March seventh, nineteen sixty five, John and
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his friend Josiah Williams led six hundred marchers. The people
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linked arms and sang before they started to cross the
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Edmund Pedis Bridge in Selma. They walked two by two
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on the sidewalk, even through the bridge, even though the
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bridge was closed to traffic. When they reached the other side,
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state police and others told them to turn back. When
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the protesters did not move, dozens of state policemen, along
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with armed citizens working with sheriff's deputies, rushed at them
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on foot. Men on horseback carried clubs and other weapons.
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John was struck in the head so hard that his
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skull was cracked. Reporters from several US newspapers and TV
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stations were in Selma to cover the protest. New photographers
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captured photos of the bloody protesters trying to get to safety,
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including several photos the state trooper attacking John. That picture
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and others of violence made news around the world. The
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day became known as Bloody Sunday. When President Johnson saw
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what had happened, he caught on Congress to pass a
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voting rights act. They did only months later, in August
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of nineteen sixty five, Chapter five The Conscience of Congress.
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John recovered from his injuries on Bloody Sunday. He left
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the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in nineteen sixty six. In
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nineteen sixty seven, he met a smart librarian in Lanta
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named Lillian Miles. She helped him through one of the
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saddest days of his life when his friend doctor King
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was assassinated in nineteen sixty eight. From the day they
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married later that year, Lillian was his closest advisor. John
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Lewis spent much of the nineteen seventies working with the
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Voter Education Project. Once again, he was helping people register
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to vote and to understand their civil rights. John decided
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he might help people even more if he became a
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member of the US Congress, so he ran for election
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to the House of Representatives in nineteen eighty six with
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the support and votes of many Georgians whom his work
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had helped. John one he became a Congressman. In Congress,
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John Lewis continued to be an activist, speaking up for
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poor people, education, voting rights, and equality. John's respect about
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other members of Congress for the day dangerous and hard
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work he had done in the nineteen sixties. In twenty sixteen,
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he participated in one more sit in on the floor
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of Congress to help call for a gun control laws
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became known as the Conscious of Congress. His lifetime of
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work for justice and equal rights made him famous around
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the world. President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal
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of Freedom in twenty eleven, is the highest civilian not
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military award that any American Henry c. In twenty sixteen,
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Jo John also won a National Book Award for Young
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People's Literature for helping to write a series of graphic
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novels about his life. He received the award for the
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third book in the series, March Book three. In his speech,
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he almost cried as he recalled not being able to
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check out books from the Troy Public Library when he
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was a boy. Like many other hardships in his life,
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that did not stop John Lewis. I tried to read
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everything he said. After serving seventeen terms as a US
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Representative for the State of Georgia, John Robert Lewis died
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of cancer on July seventeenth, twenty twenty. His bravery and
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his determination to cause good trouble, necessary trouble forever changed
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America and his people. But wait, there's more. Turn the
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page to find out how to get into good trouble.
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Learn about other activists from around the world. And more
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getting into good trouble. Is there an issue that you
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feel passionate about. Have you thought of taking action and
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encouraging others to do the same. John Lewis believed in
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making change through non violent methods. Here's some ways to
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peacefully take action in your community. Contact your local US representative.
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Let your concerns be heard by those who represent you
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in government. Talk to a trust had grown up about
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how to reach out. Make signs or buttons. Make issues
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visible by making signs or buttons that people can see.
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Speak up you know someone's saying or doing something that
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doesn't respect other person's rights till a trust are grown up,
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so you can find a way to help together. Volunteer.
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Find a local group or organization relate to the cause
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you're passionate about, and volunteer to help raise awareness at events.
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Look for small actions you can take in your neighborhood
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or town. Keep learning, stay active in and educate about
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the cause you believe in so you can be a
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good spokesperson for it. Listen. Always listens to the people
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whose rights were fighting for and supporting them and finding
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ways to share their own voices. Activist heroes John Lewis
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joined the civil rights movement and fought for equality for
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African Americans. There are many other civil rights leaders around
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the world. These are just a few of them. Diane
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Nash is a civil rights leader who helped keep the
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Freedom Writers going after the first thirteen Freedom Writers were arrests.
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Deborah Parker or Tis Saisa is an American Indian activist
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in the United States. She has fought for the rights
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of American Indians to govern themselves, for protections for American
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Indian women, for environmental justice, and more. Mayala Usaff is
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an activist who fights for allowing women and children in
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Pakistan and many other countries to receive free, safe access
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to education. At seventeen years old, she was the youngest
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person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Menaka Gerswami
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and Arandi Kazu are two lawyers in India who successfully
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overturned a law that made a crime to love someone
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of the same gender. Bernard Lafayette is a civil rights
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activist and was a leader during the Civil rights movement.
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A friend of John Lewis, Bernard also that Sitians led Sitians,
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took part in the Freedom Rights and helped organize the
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SELMA to Montgomery marches that resulted in the Voting Rights
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Act of nineteen sixty five. Venerable Panyan Sunim is a
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Korean Buddhist monk and a social activist known for working
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to feed the hungry, cure the sick, educate children, and more.
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Rights for all. Activists fight for many types of human
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rights all over the world, including rights that American citizens
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have and sometimes take for granted. For example, children in
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the United States have the right to an education, but
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there are children in some parts of the world who
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are not allowed to attend school or do not have
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access to education, such as learning to read and write.
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This can affect their ability to make a living when
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they grow up and more. Can you think of some
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rights that you have that others may not have or
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may not have as fully? Ask a grown up what
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you can do to help, and maybe someday you will
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be a part of making things better. Running for Congress,
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John Lewis became a congressman when he was elected to
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the United States House of Representatives. Congress is one brand
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branch of the United States government. Is called the legislative branch,
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and it is part of the government with a power
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to write and vote on laws for the country, among
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other things. You want to run for the US House
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of Representatives someday, Like John Lewis, you have to be
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at least twenty five years old, have been assistant of
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the United States for at least seven years, live in
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the state you wish to represent. We believe in you. Meanwhile,
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you hear about a law you don't agree with or
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an issue that needs attention in your community. You can
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talk to a trust to grown up about reaching out
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to your US representative by writing a letter, sending an email,
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or making a phone call to talk about it and
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share your opinion. Our next set of story books are
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going to be about the character Pete the Cat, and
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the first one is titled Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide
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to Life. Tips from a Cool Cat for Living an
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Awesome life, and it was published by Harper an imprint
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of Harper Collins Publishers. It has a copyright ear of
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twenty fifteen and the author of the book is Kimberly
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and James Dean. Life Takes Courage, Be Brave, Pete to
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begin begin, William Wordsworth. If you don't know where you're going,
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any path will get you there. Lewis Carroll. Go with
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the flow, Pete. Keep it simple, chill out, Pete. Life
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is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated, confucious.
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Far out with friends. You with friends, you are never alone, Pete.
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Walking with a friend in the dark is better than
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walking alone in the light. Helen Kelor opportunity is missed
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by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and
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looks like work. Thomas Citizen. Amazing things happen when you
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work hard. Pete. You miss one hundred percent of the
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shots you don't take. Wayne Gretzky. Go for it, Pete.
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When everything seems to be going against you, remember that
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an airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.
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Henry Ford groovy. If you try, you can fly, Pete.
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Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. Oscar Wilde. If
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you want to be cool, just be you, Pete. Make
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each day your masterpiece. Sean wouldn't look for the good
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in every day, Pete. It's cool the color outside. It's
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cool to color outside the lines, Pete. Every child is
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an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist
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once you grow up. Pablo Picasso. You must do the
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things you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt. Nothing is impossible. Pete,
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write it on your heart that every day is the
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best day in the year. Ralph Waldo Emerson. The birds
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are singing, the sky is bright, the sun is shining,
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and I'm feeling all right. Pete, be kind, for everyone
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you meet is fighting a hard battle. Plato. The smile
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and a little kind as you can make someone stay better, Pete,
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this too shall pass unknown above the clouds. The sun
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is always shining. Pete. Don't talk too much, Pete. A
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mel and cat catches no mice a Yiddish proverb. I
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have not failed. I just found ten thousand ways that
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won't work. Thomas Citizen. There are no failures, just lesson peat.
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Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish
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bite's ability to climb a tree, it will live his
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whole life. Believing that is stupid, attributed to it to
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Albert Einstein, being different is very cool and there's something
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everyone can do, Pete. Hope is the thing with feathers
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that purchase in the sew and sings the tunes without
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the words and never stops at all. And Lee Dickinson,
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don't lose hope. Keep on rocking, Peche. Be happy, Pete.
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Most folks are happy as they make up their minds
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to be. Abraham Lincoln. Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors. Proverb.
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It can get tough, but you are tough for Pete.
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A man who carries a cat by the tail learns
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something he can learn in no other way, Mark Twain,
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do don't even think about it, Pete. If music be
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the food of love, play on, William Shakespeare. Keep strumming, Pete.
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Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible, Dolly, Lama
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kinda starts with me, Pete. It's a good day, Pete.
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A well spent day brings happy sleep. Leonardo da Vinci.
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This concludes the children's story ire for today. Please join
25:28
us next time as we will read more stories, fables
25:31
and fairy tales. Thank you for listening, and please stay
25:34
tuned for the Lexton Herald Leader on RADIOI