Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change

by John Lewis

To register in Alabama, a person had to fill out a four-page application that was developed by the White Citizens Council, a coalition of businessmen, government officials, and prominent citizens who collectively imposed economic sanctions against any black person who even attempted to register; they could be fired from their jobs, evicted from their homes, foreclosed upon by banks or other lenders. The council made it easy to discover who these folks were. Since the registrar’s office was open only during business hours on the first and third Monday of each month, they had to ask for time off from work. In a small rural town, news travels fast. In addition, the names of all applicants were published in the newspaper. As if these methods of intimidation were not discouraging enough, the council would also leak information to the Ku Klux Klan, which was prepared to injure, maim, and kill any African American attempting to vote, threatening families and damaging property to ensure the registrant did not try it again.