February is Black History Month, the time of year to celebrate the influence Black figures have had not just on the country but also on the world.
Today, we at the Edison Public Library want to recognize former Georgia congressman and civil rights leader, John Lewis.
Lewis was an influential member of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 70s, and fought for equality for all races and genders up until his death in 2020. He was a part of many of the most famous protests at the time, such as the Nashville sit-ins in 1960, the Freedom Rides of 1961, and was one of the six coordinators of the 1963 March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
In 1965, Lewis led the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge from Selma, Alabama to the state capital in Montgomery. This nonviolent protest soon turned to chaos when the marchers were attacked by state troopers and police in the incident now known as “Bloody Sunday.”
Lewis later turned to politics to further his goals of equality, first becoming elected to the House of Representatives in Georgia’s 5th district in 1987. Upon being elected, he worked tirelessly to create the National African American Museum in Washington DC. For fifteen years, the bill was blocked by opposition within the Senate, but the bill finally passed in 2003 and received bipartisan support. The museum opened its doors in 2016.
John Lewis served the state of Georgia until his death on July 17, 2020.
A truly great man who envisioned greater things for this country, John Lewis dedicated his life to equality, held true to his African American heritage, and worked to make the country a safer place. |
