By Staci Jones | The Selma Times-Journal

Bestselling authors have written a book to show how the death of two seemingly parallel people, paved the way to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

“Jimmie Lee & James,” co-written by authors Steve Fiffer and Adar Cohen, explores the lives of two foot soldiers whose paths dramatically influenced the Civil Rights Movement.

“In ‘Jimmie Lee & James,’ Steve Fiffer and Adar Cohen bring to life a watershed moment in our nation’s history. This is a must-read for all who care about the fight for civil rights and the right to vote, then and now,” said Julian Bond, NAACP Chairman Emeritus.

The book tells the stories of farmer Jimmie Lee Jackson from Marion and the Rev. James Reeb of Boston.

Fiffer says that the idea to write on such a topic came from reading the obituary of Willie Lewis (witness at the trial of Emmett Till) whose bravery inspired him to look up other stories of people who aren’t as well-known nationally but did great things for the civil rights movement.

After deciding to take on such a task, Fiffer and his wife visited the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, where they read the names of Jimmie Lee Jackson and James Reeb right beside each other.

Jackson was killed by a white state trooper in Marion while trying to defend his mother. His death is what many consider to be the ignition for the Selma to Montgomery March. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called for pastors and ministers from up north to help prepare for the march, which brought Reeb to Selma.

Reeb was attacked days after Bloody Sunday at Walker’s Café, which used to be on Lawrence Street in Selma. He died days later from the beating.

After Reeb’s death, President Lydon B. Johnson sent his condolences to his family and delivered his draft of the Voting Rights Act to Congress on March 15, 1965.

“At first the two men seemed to be total opposites, but their stories come together to change history,” Fiffer said.

Fiffer says that the book shows that movements can make a difference. Co-author Adar Cohen agrees, “Now more than ever, lessons and strategies of the civil rights movement are important to activists of today who are fighting against inequality.

“People of Selma should be proud through the struggle and difficulties they faced during the time,” Cohen said. “Without Selma as the foundation for voting rights, our country would be much different today.”

“Jimmie Lee & James” can be purchased from bookstores or online at Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com.