John Lewis

John Lewis
Born	John Robert Lewis 21 2, 1940
Birthplace	Pike County, Alabama, U.S.
Died	Template:Death date and age Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Civil rights activist, politician
Known for	Chairman of SNCC, Selma to Montgomery marches, U.S. Representative for Georgia's 5th congressional district
Education	Fisk University (BA)
Children	1
Awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom (2011)

John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist, statesman, and member of the United States House of Representatives who represented Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020. Born the son of sharecroppers in rural Alabama, Lewis rose to national prominence as one of the original Freedom Riders, a leader of the Nashville sit-ins, and the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from 1963 to 1966. He was one of the "Big Six" leaders who organized the 1963 March on Washington, where, at the age of 23, he was the youngest person to deliver a major address. On March 7, 1965, Lewis led marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in an event that became known as "Bloody Sunday" after state troopers attacked the peaceful demonstrators with clubs and tear gas, fracturing Lewis's skull. After decades in the civil rights movement, Lewis transitioned to electoral politics, serving on the Atlanta City Council before winning election to Congress, where he served 17 consecutive terms as a member of the Democratic Party. He received numerous honors throughout his life, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Early Life

John Robert Lewis was born on February 21, 1940, in Pike County, Alabama, to Eddie and Willie Mae Lewis, who were sharecroppers. He grew up in a large family in the rural Deep South during a period of entrenched racial segregation. As a child, Lewis developed an early desire to preach and was known within his family for preaching to the chickens on the family farm.

Growing up in the segregated South shaped Lewis's understanding of racial injustice from an early age. As a teenager, he became inspired by the activism of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955–1956. Lewis later recalled hearing King speak on the radio, an experience that had a profound impact on his decision to become involved in the civil rights movement. He was drawn to King's philosophy of nonviolent resistance, which would become the guiding principle of his activism and political career.

Lewis's upbringing in rural Alabama, where African Americans faced systematic disenfranchisement and discrimination, instilled in him a determination to fight for equality. The contrast between the values of fairness he absorbed from his religious upbringing and the reality of Jim Crow laws in the South motivated his early engagement with the civil rights cause. Lewis's faith remained an important part of his identity throughout his life; he was ordained as a Baptist minister.

Education

Lewis attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. While a student at Fisk, Lewis became deeply involved in the nascent sit-in movement. Nashville became a critical center of civil rights organizing in the early 1960s, and Lewis's time there placed him at the forefront of the movement. He participated in workshops on nonviolent protest techniques led by James Lawson, who taught the philosophy and tactics of nonviolent direct action, drawing on the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and King.

His education at Fisk was inseparable from his activism; the Nashville campus served as a staging ground for sit-ins at segregated lunch counters throughout the city. Lewis's academic years were defined as much by his growing role in the movement as by his formal studies. He also attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville.

Career

Civil Rights Movement

Lewis became one of the most prominent young leaders of the American civil rights movement in the early 1960s. In 1960, while still a student in Nashville, he participated in the Nashville sit-ins, a series of organized nonviolent protests against racial segregation at lunch counters in downtown Nashville. The sit-ins were among the first large-scale applications of nonviolent direct action in the civil rights movement and resulted in the desegregation of lunch counters in the city.

In 1961, Lewis became one of the original 13 Freedom Riders, a group of civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States to challenge the non-enforcement of the United States Supreme Court decisions that ruled segregated public buses were unconstitutional. The Freedom Rides were met with extreme violence; riders were beaten by mobs in several cities. Lewis was assaulted during the Freedom Rides, suffering injuries that foreshadowed the physical dangers he would continue to face throughout the movement.

In June 1963, at the age of 23, Lewis was elected chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), succeeding Charles McDew. SNCC was one of the principal organizations of the civil rights movement, and under Lewis's leadership it played a major role in voter registration drives and direct action campaigns across the South. As chairman of SNCC, Lewis became one of the "Big Six" leaders of the major civil rights organizations—alongside King, Roy Wilkins, A. Philip Randolph, Whitney Young, and James Farmer—who organized the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.

At the March on Washington, Lewis was the youngest speaker to address the crowd of approximately 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial. His speech was notable for its forceful tone; the original draft, which contained sharper criticisms of the federal government and called for more radical action, was moderated at the request of other march organizers, but the delivered version remained one of the most powerful addresses of the day.

Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery Marches

On March 7, 1965, Lewis led approximately 600 marchers in the first of three planned marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to protest the denial of voting rights to African Americans. As the marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the outskirts of Selma, they were confronted by Alabama State Troopers and local police under the orders of Governor George Wallace. The officers attacked the unarmed, peaceful marchers with billy clubs, tear gas, and mounted horsemen. Lewis was struck on the head and suffered a fractured skull. The event, broadcast on national television, became known as "Bloody Sunday" and provoked national outrage.

The violence of Bloody Sunday is widely credited with galvanizing public support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law on August 6, 1965. The act prohibited racial discrimination in voting and has been described as one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in American history. Lewis continued to bear scars from the attack for the rest of his life and often referenced the events at Selma in his later political career.

Lewis served as chairman of SNCC until May 1966, when he was succeeded by Stokely Carmichael. The transition reflected a shift within SNCC toward a more militant philosophy, including the embrace of Black Power, which diverged from Lewis's commitment to nonviolent direct action and interracial cooperation.

Atlanta City Council

After his years in the national civil rights movement, Lewis settled in Atlanta, Georgia, where he became involved in local politics and community organizing. In 1981, he was elected to the Atlanta City Council, representing an at-large post. He served on the council from January 1, 1982, to September 3, 1985. His time on the city council provided Lewis with experience in governance and constituent services that would serve as a foundation for his subsequent congressional career.

United States House of Representatives

In 1986, Lewis was elected to the United States House of Representatives, representing Georgia's 5th congressional district, which included most of Atlanta. He succeeded Wyche Fowler, who had left the seat to run for the U.S. Senate. Lewis took office on January 3, 1987, and served continuously for 17 terms until his death on July 17, 2020.

In Congress, Lewis became a senior member of the Democratic Party leadership in the House. He served as a chief deputy whip beginning in 1991 and was elevated to senior chief deputy whip in 2003, a position he held under House Democratic leaders Dick Gephardt and Nancy Pelosi. Due to his length of service, Lewis became the dean of the Georgia congressional delegation, a designation given to the longest-serving member of a state's delegation.

Throughout his time in Congress, Lewis was a consistent advocate for civil rights, voting rights, and social justice. He used his position to push for legislation protecting the rights of minorities and the disadvantaged. He frequently invoked his experiences in the civil rights movement to argue for continued vigilance in protecting democratic rights and institutions.

Lewis was known for his concept of "good trouble," a phrase he used to encourage civic engagement and peaceful protest against injustice. The phrase became closely associated with his public identity and was widely quoted after his death.

Authorship and March Graphic Novel Trilogy

In addition to his political work, Lewis was the co-author of March, a graphic novel trilogy that chronicled his experiences in the civil rights movement. Written with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell, the series was published between 2013 and 2016. The trilogy received critical acclaim and was adopted as an educational tool in schools across the United States.

The first volume, March: Book One, was published in 2013 and drew on Lewis's early life and his involvement in the Nashville sit-ins. At the 2013 American Library Association Annual Conference, Lewis appeared to discuss the book and spoke about the importance of libraries and literacy in his own life. The trilogy concluded with March: Book Three in 2016, which won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, making Lewis the first sitting member of Congress to win a National Book Award.

At the National Book Awards ceremony in 2016, Lewis delivered an acceptance speech that reflected on the power of books and literacy in the struggle for justice. The March series brought Lewis's story to a new generation of readers and reinforced his role as a public educator about the history of the civil rights movement.

Lewis was also the author of an earlier memoir, Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement (1998), which provided a detailed account of his life and activism.

Personal Life

Lewis married Lillian Miles in 1968. Lillian Miles Lewis was an educator and served as a trusted adviser to her husband throughout his career. The couple had one son, John-Miles Lewis. Lillian Miles Lewis died on December 31, 2012.

Lewis maintained strong ties to the Baptist faith throughout his life and was an ordained Baptist minister. He frequently spoke of the role that faith and spirituality played in sustaining him through the dangers of the civil rights movement and the challenges of public life.

Lewis was remembered by colleagues from both political parties as a person of deep moral conviction. He was known for his willingness to engage with people of differing views and for his emphasis on reconciliation and forgiveness, even toward those who had been his adversaries during the civil rights era.

Lewis was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in December 2019. He continued to make public appearances and statements during his treatment. He died on July 17, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 80. He was buried at South-View Cemetery in Atlanta, a historic cemetery that has served the African American community since the 19th century.

Recognition

Lewis received numerous awards and honors over the course of his career. In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, in recognition of his contributions to the civil rights movement and his decades of public service.

He received many honorary degrees from colleges and universities across the country. His March graphic novel trilogy won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2016, a recognition that underscored the educational and literary significance of his personal account of the civil rights movement.

In Atlanta, Lewis was honored in several ways reflecting his connection to the city he represented for more than three decades. Freedom Parkway, a major road in Atlanta, was renamed to include his name in recognition of his service. A statue honoring Lewis was planned for the Vine City neighborhood of Atlanta.

Lewis's influence extended into popular culture as well. The PBS children's television show Arthur acknowledged Lewis, reflecting his reach across generations and his status as a figure recognized even by younger audiences.

Lewis was also recognized for his interfaith outreach and his advocacy for education. He participated in events promoting education for all children, including engagement with Jewish community organizations.

Legacy

John Lewis's legacy is rooted in his role as one of the central figures of the American civil rights movement and his subsequent career as a long-serving member of Congress. His participation in the Freedom Rides, the Nashville sit-ins, the March on Washington, and the Selma to Montgomery marches placed him at the center of the most consequential events of the movement. The injuries he sustained on Bloody Sunday became a symbol of the physical sacrifices endured by civil rights activists in the struggle against segregation and disenfranchisement.

In Congress, Lewis served as a living link between the civil rights era and contemporary American politics. His frequent references to "good trouble" became a widely adopted rallying cry for civic engagement and peaceful protest, particularly among younger activists. His insistence on nonviolent action and his willingness to be arrested for acts of civil disobedience—even as a sitting member of Congress—distinguished him among his peers.

The March graphic novel trilogy ensured that Lewis's experiences would be accessible to younger generations in an engaging format. The series was widely adopted in schools and libraries and contributed to renewed public interest in the history of the civil rights movement.

Following his death in July 2020, Lewis received tributes from across the political spectrum. His body was carried across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in a symbolic final journey retracing the route of the 1965 march. The outpouring of public mourning reflected his standing as one of the last surviving leaders of the civil rights movement's most active period.

Lewis's advocacy for voting rights remained relevant in the years after his death, as debates over voting access and election integrity continued in American politics. His name became associated with legislative efforts to strengthen voting protections, and supporters invoked his legacy in arguing for the importance of safeguarding democratic participation.

The renaming of Atlanta's Freedom Parkway to include Lewis's name, the planned statue in Vine City, and the many honors he received during and after his lifetime reflected the enduring significance of his contributions to American life.