John Lewis

[rogue06]

John Lewis passed away last night at the age of 80. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He served as a Congressman from Georgia from 1987 until his death.

Lewis was a Civil Rights icon and genuine hero. He was front and center of virtually every major action ranging from the sit-ins at lunch counters, to being one of the first freedom riders, to suffering a fractured skull after being beaten by police at the Edmund Pettus Bridge during the Selma to Montgomery march in an incident that will forever be known as "Bloody Sunday." He also helped organize the March on Washington where MLK delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.

While I rarely agreed with his political views I always respected what he had done. As I said, he was a genuine hero.

[oxmixmudd]

John Lewis: 1940 - 2020

One of the truly great civil rights leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries passed away yesterday. One of the original 13 Freedom Riders, Lewis was a lifelong advocate and supporter of peaceful protest and the power of love and forgiveness to bring lasting and real change in the racism and oppression that ruled the country he was born into.

He was arrested more than 40 times offering peaceful protests against racism and policies that enforced it in our country, he was also beaten many times, almost to death in the "Bloody Sunday" protest on the Edmund Pettis bridge in Alabama:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/u...ewis-dead.html




And yet he never shrunk back from that commitment to love and peaceful protest, never harbored hatred or ill will towards those that abused him or hated him, and always taught that ALL people, even those that abuse you, are worthy of the respect due them because of their humanity.

He went on to serve the United States as a congressman for 30 years from 1988 to 2018. He continued the entire time to work hard for the elimination of barriers to black equality in the US, but never forsook his commitment to peaceful protest and forgiveness. A story is told of a former KKK clansman, one of the men who beat him at the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Alabama, who came to his office to ask forgiveness. Davis did indeed forgive the man and even developed a friendly relationship with him.

When the SNCC began to embrace the possibility of violence, he parted ways with them. He was always first committed to the idea that love, forgiveness, and peaceful protest against the evils around him was the way to lasting change. This came from his strong Christian faith and upbringing. He encouraged people to 'get in good trouble'. That is to protest against the evils around them, perhaps getting arrested or abused, but do it in such a way that your goodness is not compromised by the protest itself.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...le/5464148002/

Here are a few links giving short biographies of his life and work:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L...rights_leader)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/u...ewis-dead.html

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/17/polit...-80/index.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-le...l-rights-icon/

[rogue06]

From a post I started in the Memorial Garden only a few minutes ago:

John Lewis passed away last night at the age of 80. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He served as a Congressman from Georgia from 1987 until his death.

Lewis was a Civil Rights icon and genuine hero. He was front and center of virtually every major action ranging from the sit-ins at lunch counters, to being one of the first freedom riders, to suffering a fractured skull after being beaten by police at the Edmund Pettus Bridge during the Selma to Montgomery march in an incident that will forever be known as "Bloody Sunday." He also helped organize the March on Washington where MLK delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.

While I rarely agreed with his political views I always respected what he had done. As I said, he was a genuine hero.

[Cow Poke]

From a post I started in the Memorial Garden only a few minutes ago:

I think it would be best to merge this thread with the one in Memorial Gardens, so there can be no room for debate. This is not an issue that should be argued, but observed.