John Lewis is the U.S. Representative for Georgia's fifth congressional district and an American icon widely known for his role in the civil rights movement. He participated in the Freedom Rides in 1961, served from 1963 to 1966 as the Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), delivered a keynote speech at the historic March on Washington in 1963, and in 1965 led the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Since leaving SNCC, he has remained a devoted advocate of the philosophy of nonviolence and continued to work for civil rights with organizations including the Field Foundation, the Southern Regional Council, and ACTION. In 1981, he was elected to the Atlanta City Council, and since 1986 he has served continuously in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 2011, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. His award-winning books include Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement and Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change.Andrew Aydin currently serves as Digital Director and Policy Advisor to Rep. John Lewis in Washington, D.C. Previously, he served as communications directory and press secretary during Lewis's 2008 and 2010 re-election campaigns, as district aide to Rep. John Larson, and as special assistant to Connecticut Lt. Governor Kevin Sullivan.

Nate Powell is a New York Times bestselling graphic novelist. His work includes the award-winning Swallow Me Whole, as well as Any Empire, You Don't Say, The Silence of Our Friends, The Year of the Beasts, and Rick Riordan's The Lost Hero. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana.