Seldom do we see ourselves as part of the process of history, and many of us remain passive observers even during tumultuous times. But civil rights leader John Lewis, now a member of Congress, etched his name on the time-line of human progress in the 1960s. He took action, shaped the path of history and helped to build a better world.

In “Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement,” Mr. Lewis brings us along on his personal journey of commitment, guided by what he calls “the spirit of history.”

At his side, we take the giant steps that changed American history — from the suspense and drama of his first sit-in to freedom rides on segregated buses, marches, jailings and his years chairing the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, pronounced snick).

Mr. Lewis gives us insight into how he faced tear gas attacks, savage beatings and cattle-prodding sheriffs, literally risking his life for the cause of racial justice.

“The spirit chases you down and you have no choice. You must allow yourself to be guided by this force to carry out what must be done.” When the spirit said, “sit in” or “boycott” or “go to jail,” he obeyed.

Growing up in rural Pike County, Alabama, during the 1940s and ‘50s prepared Lewis for his destiny. Race relations then — in the South and throughout the U.S. — were defined by legalized and customary systems of segregation and discrimination. Southern “Jim Crow” laws barred Black citizens from restaurants, hotels, theaters, schools and other “white only” public accommodations.

Brutality greets non-violent sit-ins
In 1954, the Supreme Court banned “separate, but equal” schools, and the Montgomery Bus boycott in 1955 began a new phase of non-violent, direct action. But the segregationists fought back bitterly and brutally.

By 1960, mass demonstrations and voter registration drives intensified the struggle for equal rights. John Lewis found his calling with SNCC, a unique band of black and white students. SNCC has often been described as the movement’s best example of an integrated group working together for a common goal. They were beaten, jailed and some were even murdered, but they never surrendered in their unrelenting efforts to organize black citizens to register and vote.

In the late 1960s, under new leadership, SNCC confronted internal racial issues by ending the participation of whites. Unwilling to commit himself to this ideology, Lewis eventually resigned. By 1986, he moved forward on the time-line and ran for Congress from Georgia’s 5th District, the position he now holds.

The 1960s movement gave us the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, which helped expand the number of black elected officials from a handful to over 9,000 today. Those who remember the era can truly say we are glad to have lived during that movement and known its heroes. In “Walking With the Wind,” Mr. Lewis revisits those days of cruelty, courage and transformation.