The Birmingham Church Bombing in John Lewis' Graphic Memoir

John Lewis gestures during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, on July 26, 2016.

Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images

Ideas

August 3, 2016 7:19 PM EDT

Lewis is the U.S. Representative for Georgia's Fifth Congressional District

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When the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., was bombed in 1963, John Lewis, now a Georgia Congressman, was one of the region’s most prominent civil rights leaders. He heard the news on the radio and rushed to Birmingham, where four girls had been killed in the blast. The tragic incident became a galvanizing moment in the ongoing struggle. He recounts the episode in his new graphic memoir, March: Book Three, created with Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, out this week. The book marks the third and final volume in the series, which debuted in 2013.