Walking With The Wind By John Lewis

Throughout his memoir “Walking With the Wind” John Lewis explained the generational divide within the Civil Rights Movement and how it shaped the movement as a whole. The older generation like Martin Luther King Jr. and those of the NAACP like Thurgood Marshall believed in a slower, more conservative approach. On the other hand, the younger generation such as Lewis and his SNCC compatriots believed in dramatic, more radical measures to cause change. The key differences between the older generation and younger generation of civil rights activists lay in who is involved in the movement, their methodology, and The beliefs of the older generation of civil rights activists differed greatly from those of the younger generation The first difference

Moreover, those of the older generation, primarily those of the NAACP believed in a slow, gradual approach to ending segregation and permanently altering the greater power structure. This caused many of the gains the older generation achieved to have come from the courtroom such as Brown vs Board of Education (1954) and Boynton vs Virginia (1960). This was achieved via accepting smaller cases and using the NAACP’s team of elite lawyers which included Marshall himself to force the case to the highest available court to force a federal decision on an issue, as well as wrack up legal costs for others involved. Moreover, those within the older generation were more conservative and as Lewis notes in the case of Martin Luther King Junior, were often hesitant to support the more radical actions of the younger generation, as they feared this would cause further violence and stir up increasing hate. This hesitancy was often seen by the younger generation as a betrayal and that they were equally working against the “black bourgeoisie groups” as Lewis himself referred to them as much as the white man. These fundamental differences within groups are highlighted

Lewis notes that although there were differences in philosophy, and how exactly to go about achieving equality for all African Americans, the two generations were united in cause. As Lewis noted “Unity and mutual respect were essential to what we were doing.” both about within the direct actions of the younger generation and the movement as a whole. Moreover, the progress achieved from both sides stemmed directly from the previous progress of the other generation. It would be impossible for the Freedom Rides to have occurred when they did with their purpose if the elder generation had not forced Boynton vs Virginia to the Supreme Court and caused it to render a verdict in their favor. It would’ve been significantly more difficult for the elder generation to chip away at the overarching power structure within the United States if the younger generation was not in the field demonstrating. Their nonviolent actions as well as the heinous deeds done to them prompted public outrage which caused legislation to be passed such as the 1963 Civil Rights Bill. Although the generational divides caused strife within the overall movement, they were united on their overall goal and they ultimately worked together to achieve their goal of achieving full legal equality for African Americans within the United