Last night, Georgia Congressman John Lewis, one of my personal heroes, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 80.
It was four years ago that I attended a political rally in a church in a neighboring community. Congressman Lewis had come to town to try to help a younger candidate win a seat to join him in the House of Representatives.
The church was packed with a heartwarmingly diverse crowd: all variations on the color spectrum, differing faiths or no faith, young and old, men and women.
I was thrilled to be so close to Lewis. Ever since seeing the video of the brutal beating he’d received on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, which left him with a fractured skull but a resilient spirit, he’s been my ideal of the finest and bravest of Americans. He adhered to his belief and practice of nonviolence throughout his lifetime.
That beating by state troopers in riot gear became known as “Bloody Sunday.” The images of the attacks led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, which President Lyndon Johnson signed into law shortly thereafter.
Lewis’s long and storied history as a leader in the civil rights movement began with lunch counter sit-ins that ultimately succeeded in desegregating public facilities in Nashville. That was the beginning. But the first time he was arrested, his family was ashamed, as they’d taught him “don’t get into trouble.”
However, once he’d met with Dr Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, he knew what he had to do. He had to “get into trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble.” He paid a high personal price for that trouble, but his impact was huge.
It wasn’t just his bravery. It was his humility and generosity of spirit. To some, his willingness to forgive was unfathomable.
Writes Michael Fletcher in The Undefeated:
“My apprehension was rooted in the mistaken notion that Lewis was not angry enough. Why did he not demand revenge for the unspeakable racism he fearlessly confronted? How could he accept an apology from former Alabama governor George Wallace, a longtime segregationist who ordered the infamous Bloody Sunday attack on the bridge? Or forgive the pathological Bull Connor, the former public safety commissioner in Birmingham, Alabama?
“Why would he forge a relationship with former Klansman Elwin Wilson, who was part of a mob that in 1961 beat down Lewis and other Freedom Riders outside the whites-only waiting room at the Rock Hill, South Carolina, bus station?
“But over the years my ambivalence melted into reverence as I came to better appreciate the power of Lewis’ grace. It armed him with undeniable moral authority that allowed him to change minds, and hearts. His willingness to forgive, along with his bravery and contempt for injustice were among the sturdiest pillars of his greatness.
“Wilson apologized to Lewis years after his crimes and sought to atone for them. Lewis accepted his apology, went on television with the former Klansman and even hosted him at his congressional office. After Wilson died in 2013, Lewis reflected kindly on his example.
‘Elwin Wilson shows us that people can change,’ Lewis said. ‘And when they put down the mechanisms of division and separation to pick up the tools of reconciliation, they can help build a greater sense of community in our society, even between the most unlikely people.”
Lewis had received similar vindication when he’d returned to Selma on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday in 1998, as he had every year. Selma’s mayor, Joseph T. Smitherman, who had been mayor when the attack occurred in 1965, gave Lewis a key to the city.
Said Smitherman:
“Back then, I called him an outside rabble-rouser. Today I call him one of the most courageous people I’ve ever met.”
In his years in Congress, Lewis became known as the “conscience of the Congress.” He worked to create what Dr Martin Luther King had called “a beloved community”—a world free of racism, poverty, and war. He was identified with healthcare reform, justice, voting rights, immigration, and gun control.
Another indelible image I have of him followed the mass shooting in an Orlando, Florida night club in 2016. To protest Congressional inaction after yet another gun massacre, he led a sit-in among Democratic members of Congress on the floor of the House of Representatives.
When we eventually do get the sensible gun legislation that the majority of Americans want, I hope it will bear his name. And I’m fairly sure that the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma will soon be renamed in his honor.
Lewis was gratified by the global demonstrations that followed the killing of George Floyd in May. He viewed the diverse actions against systemic racism as “a continuation of his life’s work,” reported The New York Times (which is the source of several items in this post).
He told an interviewer from CBS This Morning that:
“It was very moving, very moving to see hundreds of thousands of people from all over America and around the world take to the streets—to speak up, to speak out, to get into what I call ‘good trouble.’ This feels and looks so different. It is so much more massive and all inclusive. There will be no turning back.”
In President Obama’s remarks on Lewis’s death, he wrote that when they’d last spoken after the demonstrations,
“I told him that all those young people — of every race, from every background and gender and sexual orientation — they were his children. They had learned from his example, even if they didn’t know it. They had understood through him what American citizenship requires, even if they had heard of his courage only through history books.
“Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did. And thanks to him, we now all have our marching orders — to keep believing in the possibility of remaking this country we love until it lives up to its full promise.”
In the church where I heard him speak four years ago, Lewis described his early life as the son of sharecroppers. He told us he’d gotten his start preaching to the chickens outside his modest home. He minced no words in describing the horrors he’d been subjected to as a young peaceful demonstrator. He made us smile, he made us laugh, he made us weep, and he inspired us. And his magic helped his candidate, who won in a largely Republican district.
I had brought with me a copy of March, the autobiographical graphic novel trilogy about the Civil Rights movement that he had written for young people with Andrew Aydin, which was illustrated by Nate Powell. I had bought it for my grandson and was hoping I could get Lewis to autograph it. I came close.
As he made his way out the side door, mobbed by well-wishers, I was one person away from shaking his hand and handing him the book. And then he was gone.
Here is a video of John Lewis receiving The National Book Award for March–one of several awards it garnered.
Annie
Note: A documentary, “John Lewis; Good Trouble,” has just been released.
annieasksyou... 
Crossed paths a few times with John Lewis on Martha’s Vineyard. What an honor to meet and speak with him! I am especially thrilled that my grandchildren were able to hear him talk at the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore on the first of his three part memoir which is written in graphic form. This morning, with tears in my eyes, I placed the three books in a prominent place on a book case in my living room.
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That’s great. He was a giant. Hope you watched the video.
Take care.
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RIP John Lewis. To state the obvious, politicians wouldn’t be held in such low esteem if there were more like him.
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It may be obvious, but it can’t be said enough. We sure do need some of his decency, courage, and caring for the public good right now. Let’s hope his friends from across the aisle who are making lovely speeches about him try to emulate him even a little bit.
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I have lost count of how many columns about John Lewis that I have read since learning of his death near midnight on Friday, many of which were enlightening even though I already knew much of the history. Earlier today I had read Barrack Obama’s entire beautiful tribute in “Medium” and he challenges us to continue in John Lewis’s footsteps. Your heartfelt and touching tribute to this man among men moves me to more tears for the sort of hero our country so needs and has now lost. How fortunate that you were able to hear Lewis speak not that very long ago, a priceless memory indeed. Thank-you!
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Thank you very much, Ellen; I am most appreciative of your kind words. Yes; it was President Obama’s Medium tribute from which I quoted.
I so wished I could have reached John Lewis and told him how much he meant to me! And now I hope we take Obama’s message to heart and advance John Lewis’s priceless legacy. I share his belief that “this time feels different”—but only if we make it so.
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An excellent tribute, Annie! The video … that was so stirring! Thank you!
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Thank you, Jill. I’m glad you watched the video. It shows so beautifully his humility and gentleness—remarkable that he retained such qualities after all he’d been through AND after all the plaudits he’d received.
I smiled when I saw that you’d also selected the photo of President Obama presenting him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for your tribute, but then I thought “of course; what could be more appropriate?”
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Indeed, Obama putting the Medal of Freedom on John Lewis was a defining moment. And, that was back when the Medal actually still had meaning, before Trump awarded it to Rush Limbaugh!
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I have “cancelled” trump from my personal “culture”—making him tiny in my mind and viewing him as weak as he truly is. The country is finally coming to grips with his cruel and mad ineptness. I’m not saying he won’t wreak further devastation, but Republican Senators fighting for their seats will not go along with his cuts to testing, etc. The emperor’s clothes are fraying at the seams.
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I envy you being able to do that. You are quite right that he is a weak ‘man’, but also evil. There is inherent evil, a wish to do harm, residing within him. There are exactly six months until Biden’s inauguration (I’m thinking positive here), or 184 days, and I truly dread what dirty tricks he will do during that time.
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I was surprised to read how young he was….just 23yr….during the early days of the civil rights movement….the youngest speaker.
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Yes—and apparently he wanted his speech at the March on Washington to be stronger than it was. The elders (Bayard Rustin, et al) persuaded him to tone it down. He spoke so quietly—except when he was making important points!
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PS. The video was beautiful….
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Really captures several of his unique qualities—and painful history, of course.
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Annie. thanks for this beautiful piece on John Lewis, who was a beautiful person in every sense. You were lucky to have gotten to see and meet him in person.
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Thank you so much, George. If only I’d gotten a chance to shake his hand and tell him how grateful I was for his exemplary life.,.
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So beautiful, Annie. He’s one of my heroes, too. When I fear for our children, our country, I think of him and his influence and take heart. An exemplary life. Thanks for shining the spotlight on him. I’m going to pursue the resources you mention as a means of keeping him close.
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Thank you, my friend. He never gave up, and he never despaired. So his work and example can indeed be our guides through these tough times.
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Though I often disagreed with his politics, I had a great deal of respect for Lewis and his civil rights message. The Christian message is not very popular today, certainly not among Lewis’ political party. But that message formed the foundation of his nonviolent response to violence and his ability to forgive those who sought forgiveness. Those impulses have become increasingly rare across the political spectrum, sadly. For every John Lewis we lose, we get in his place hotheads who demand an eye for an eye – which is no way to cultivate peace and forgiveness, either sought and granted.
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Yes, Lewis spoke frequently and passionately about the role his faith played in enabling him to confront all his ordeals—and to give him the grace of forgiveness.
I’m not sure I agree with you that we don’t have good people seeking peace, however. Our national leadership has made it harder for such voices to be heard.
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Great article, Annie. I hadn’t heard of ‘March’ – I’ll be putting it on my to be read list!
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Thanks so much, Matthew. He was such an extraordinary man.
I can’t remember how old your children are, but it’s something I think you’d like to read with them at the appropriate age(s).
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Probably too young at the moment, but definitely one for the future.
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That’s what I thought. Above 10 or so sounds about right.
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Hi Annie,
Beautiful, Annie.
Your quote of Obama’s remarks had me tearing up just as I had when he said it at the funeral. Lewis will be terribly missed by those who want social justice for all. Hopefully his legacy will be carried on.
I’m so sorry you didn’t get a chance to shake his hand, but you were there and that means a lot.
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Thanks very much, Fran. I did feel that it was a gift to be in his presence and hear him speak—even though I didn’t get to shake his hand.
He left a clear roadmap for us to follow, as President Obama so eloquently stated. I hope young people will act upon his message on the importance of voting this November.
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I loved this blog. The video is wonderful
Sent from my iPad
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So glad, Susie—and especially glad you watched the video. He was such a beautiful soul.
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