As the world woke up on Saturday July 18, another day with record pandemic case numbers and news of increased unrest in cities like Portland and even with a protest with some violence in my hometown of Virginia Beach, we learned of the passing of Representative John Lewis at the age of 80. Some of the tributes to him are referenced below.
I grew up in the D.C. area in the 1960s and ’70s, and after my college and early adult years returned to live there again. In the local and national news, we would often hear Mr. Lewis’ voice in times of trouble for our country: he was one of the founding “Freedom Riders” and at the front of the line at Edmund Pettus Bridge in March of 1965, where he was brutally beaten by Alabama state policemen which helped make that event a turning point in the fight for Civil Rights. As an elected official, he served as the “Conscious of Congress”, fighting recently for something to be done about gun violence after the nightclub shooting in Orlando, organizing the first-ever “sit-in” of Congress. Whatever your political views, whether standing with or against Rep. Lewis, all admired his dedication to love and non-violent protest, and his strong steady voice guiding us to face difficult issues and act where we see injustice.
I offer my condolences to his family and all who knew and loved John Lewis. May we learn from his conviction and passion, and live out the words he is most quoted for in the picture below. And as we stand up like he did to the challenges facing our nation, may we do what he suggested and “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Tributes to Representative John Lewis:
- John Lewis, Towering Figure of Civil Rights Era, Dies at 80
- John R. Lewis, front-line civil rights leader and eminence of Capitol Hill, dies at 80 (see also the video “Remembering Rep. John Lewis in his own words”)
- Rep. John Lewis, lion of the civil rights movement, dies at 80
- ‘Get in good trouble, necessary trouble’: Rep. John R. Lewis in his own words
Note: correction on 7-19-20 – the event that inspired the sit-in in Congress was corrected to the Orlando nightclub shooting.