John Lewis (civil rights leader)

John Lewis (civil rights leader) was an American statesman, civil rights leader, and politician who served as the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020. A key figure in the civil rights movement, he was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and helped organize the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Lewis was a close ally of Martin Luther King Jr. and is best remembered for leading the first of the Selma to Montgomery marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965, an event known as Bloody Sunday.

Early life and education

John Robert Lewis was born near Troy, Alabama, to sharecropper parents. He was inspired by the activism surrounding the Montgomery bus boycott and the sermons of Martin Luther King Jr. on Radio. Lewis attended the American Baptist College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he became deeply involved in nonviolent protest workshops led by activists like James Lawson. He later earned a second bachelor's degree in Religion from Fisk University. During his time in Nashville, Tennessee, he helped organize and participated in the Nashville sit-ins at segregated lunch counters, which were pivotal in desegregating downtown facilities.

Civil rights activism

Lewis rose to national prominence as a founding member and later chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He was one of the original thirteen Freedom Riders challenging segregation in interstate bus travel across the South, enduring severe beatings and arrests. In 1963, at just 23 years old, he was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. His most defining moment came on March 7, 1965, when he and Hosea Williams led over 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. The violent confrontation with Alabama State Troopers, which fractured Lewis's skull, was broadcast nationwide and galvanized public support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Political career

After moving to Atlanta, Lewis directed the Voter Education Project before entering electoral politics. He served on the Atlanta City Council from 1982 to 1986. In 1986, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, representing a district that included much of Atlanta. In Congress, he was a senior chief deputy whip for the Democratic Party and was revered as the "conscience of the Congress." He served on the House Ways and Means Committee and was a staunch advocate for healthcare reform, poverty reduction, and immigration rights. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2011.

Personal life and death

Lewis married Lillian Miles in 1968; the couple had one son, John-Miles Lewis. Lillian Miles Lewis died in 2012. John Lewis was a member of the Progressive National Baptist Convention. In December 2019, he was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. He continued his work in Congress during treatment but died from the disease on July 17, 2020, in Atlanta. His body lay in state in the United States Capitol rotunda, a rare honor, where thousands paid their respects.

Legacy and honors

John Lewis is widely regarded as an icon of the civil rights movement and American history. The Edmund Pettus Bridge is now part of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. In 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened with Lewis as a key figure in its exhibits. He authored a bestselling graphic novel memoir trilogy, March, which won a National Book Award. Numerous institutions bear his name, including the John Lewis Elementary School in Washington, D.C., and John Lewis College at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In 2020, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the passage of a bill to rename the Voting Rights Advancement Act the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in his honor.

Category:American civil rights activists Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia Category:2020 deaths