Rep. John Lewis (center) marches with March co-authors Andrew Aydin (left) and Nate Powell (right). All Photos by Al Powers/Invision/AP
US Congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.) was at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday discussing his award-winning graphic novel, March, which resulted in a real march for civil rights awareness.
After Lewis’ panel ended, he led a group of over 1,000 people through the San Diego Convention Center, with some shouting “No justice, no peace” as they marched past cosplayers and attendees. According to the Associated Press, Lewis made sure to stop and shake hands with people who recognised him as he passed.
“Thank you for all that you’ve done,” one man told Rep. Lewis, tears in his eyes.
March is a graphic novel biography that starts with Lewis’ upbringing during Jim Crow-era segregation, moving through his civil rights advocacy into the first March From Selma to Montgomery, which marked its 50th anniversary in 2015. It was a New York Times bestseller and the first graphic novel to receive a National Book Award. Most recently, the third volume received the Eisner Award for best reality-based work, and Lewis (along with co-authors Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell) were surprised during the March Comic-Con panel with an Inkpot Award.