Across That Bridge audiobook cover - A Vision for Change and the Future of America

Across That Bridge

A Vision for Change and the Future of America

John Lewis

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PoliticsSociety & CultureBiography & Memoir

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Key Takeaways from Across That Bridge

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Across That Bridge
Power of Determination+
Faith in Convictions+
Power of Patience+
Study & Preparation+
Action & Humanity+
Nonviolence & Radical Love+
Letting Your Light Shine+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
According to John Lewis, how should activists view periods of intense hostility and darkness in society?
  • A. As a sign that previous nonviolent tactics have failed and new methods are required.
  • B. As a starting point for something better and a call to reengage with the democratic process.
  • C. As an inevitable cycle of history that cannot be altered by human intervention.
  • D. As proof that the nation has permanently regressed to a pre-civil rights era mindset.
Question 2 of 7
How does the book characterize Rosa Parks's historic refusal to give up her bus seat?
  • A. As a spontaneous act of exhaustion after a long day of work.
  • B. As a deliberate test of her newly studied understanding and faith in the potential for racial integration.
  • C. As a coordinated diversion tactic planned by the NAACP to distract local law enforcement.
  • D. As an isolated incident that accidentally sparked a larger movement without prior planning.
Question 3 of 7
Why does John Lewis view patience as a vital virtue in activism, specifically referencing the struggle in Selma?
  • A. Because waiting peacefully in line for years exposed the cruelty of the opposition and ultimately led to the Voting Rights Act.
  • B. Because rushing into protests usually resulted in a loss of funding from sympathetic northern donors.
  • C. Because activists needed time to secretly gather resources and weapons for self-defense.
  • D. Because it allowed the federal government enough time to slowly change the minds of local segregationist leaders.
Question 4 of 7
What does the text suggest was the true foundation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership in the civil rights movement?
  • A. His innate charisma and natural public speaking abilities.
  • B. His wealthy upbringing which insulated him from the daily struggles of racism.
  • C. His rigorous academic study of theology and philosophy to understand how to help a people embittered by hate.
  • D. His political connections with the Kennedy administration prior to the Montgomery bus boycott.
Question 5 of 7
How did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. demonstrate the humanity and inclusion of his cause after winning the Nobel Peace Prize?
  • A. By using the prize money to relocate his family to the North to show that Black Americans deserved safety.
  • B. By donating the entirety of his prize money to the civil rights movement instead of securing his own family's comfort.
  • C. By inviting the Alabama state troopers to the award ceremony in Oslo as a gesture of peace.
  • D. By refusing the award to protest the ongoing violence against Black Americans in the South.
Question 6 of 7
What was the long-term result of John Lewis refusing to fight back or press charges against his attacker in Rock Hill, South Carolina?
  • A. It emboldened the Ku Klux Klan to increase their attacks on the Freedom Riders.
  • B. It led to the immediate desegregation of the local bus terminal.
  • C. It caused a permanent rift between Lewis and other activists who believed in armed self-defense.
  • D. It left room for the attacker to eventually realize his guilt and apologize to Lewis 40 years later.
Question 7 of 7
According to Lewis, what is the core struggle of both the civil rights movement and modern activist movements regarding the 'inner light'?
  • A. To prove that activists have a brighter inner light than those who oppose them.
  • B. To correct the wrongheaded idea that some people possess more light and are therefore more deserving than others.
  • C. To hide one's inner light from oppressors in order to protect the movement's strategic plans.
  • D. To separate society so that people with similar lights can live together in peace.

Across That Bridge — Full Chapter Overview

Across That Bridge Summary & Overview

Across That Bridge (2017) is a poignant account from one of America’s most powerful activists on the qualities that protestors need to embody to bring about lasting change. Activists in the US and all over the world look to the American civil rights movement of the 1960s for inspiration on how to challenge injustice. Here, Lewis uses personal recollections – from freedom rides to bus boycotts to the March on Washington – to impart lessons about nonviolent protest to the next generation of dreamers.

Who Should Listen to Across That Bridge?

  • Anyone who wants to speak truth to power
  • People inspired by the historic victories of the civil rights movement
  • Those interested in nonviolent communication

About the Author: John Lewis

John Lewis was one of the most influential American activists of the twentieth century. A close friend and colleague of Martin Luther King Jr., as well as one of the original 13 Freedom Riders, Lewis played a crucial role in ending legalized segregation in the South. He also ushered in vital civil rights legislation in the 1960s. He was elected to the US Congress in 1987 and served until his death in 2020.

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