October 27, 2010 - John Lewis (born February 21, 1940, ... for his chairmanship of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and for leading the march that was halted by police violence on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in 1965, a landmark ...

Congressman John Lewis has dedicated his life to the non-violent struggle for social change since his days as a seminary student in Tennessee. He helped establish the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960 and became a Freedom Rider in 1961, traveling through the South with ...

The life of John Lewis demonstrates the importance of utilizing, and protecting, the freedoms afforded by the First Amendment. Lawyers, through the unique privileges of their profession and their special access to the judicial system, play an important role in advocating for, maintaining, and expanding those (and other) freedoms. Sometimes that role is overlooked in the day-to-day life of young lawyers, whether they be associates in a large firm, solo practitioners, employed in government positions, or advocates in a nonprofit, public interest group.

October 19, 2020 - There was perhaps no single figure ... than John Lewis. Born in 1940 in Alabama, Lewis was at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s....

September 25, 2025 - John Lewis’ passing on July 17, 2020, from pancreatic cancer, marked the end of an era, but his work laid the foundation for significant legislative changes and paved the way for a more inclusive and equitable society.

March 1, 2023 - We’re indebted to Congressman Lewis whose fight for racial equality and encouragement to “keep the faith” truly helped spread the message that “what happened here changed the world.” ... This site is best experienced in portrait orientation.

Celebrated as one of the civil rights movement’s most courageous young leaders, John Lewis, a founding member and chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), greatly contributed to student movements of the 1960s.

February 4, 2025 - Across two generations, beginning in 1960, John Lewis and the Rev. C T. Vivian battled for justice and equality. They fought together for civil rights for 60 years and died on the same day in 2020. In honor of their memory, we must pause to remember and reflect on their resilience, their commitment to nonviolence, their understanding of the centrality of the vote, and, perhaps just as important, their personal humility.

John Lewis was a great man indeed. His bravery and selflessness in the face of grave danger are a model for us all. He leaves a tremendous legacy of hope. He was very proud of the work of the Library of Congress. Thank you Dr. Hayden and staff for your work to share the important and painful history of our country.

1 day ago - If you ask me whether the election ... is the fulfillment of Dr. King's dream, I say, 'No, it's just a down payment.' There's still too many people 50 years later, there's still too many people that are being left out and left behind. After Obama's swearing-in ceremony as president, Lewis asked him to sign a commemorative photograph of the event. Obama signed it, "Because of you, John.

As a teenage activist in Troy, Tennessee, a young leader in the American Civil Rights Movement, and as a United States representative, John Lewis demonstrated fearless leadership in the face of adversity throughout his life. His story is one of many that made the Obamas’ journeys possible, and his legacy continues to inspire all of us here at the Obama Foundation and people around the world working in the pursuit of more just and fair societies.

American civil rights leader and ... for his chairmanship of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and for leading the march that was halted by police violence on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in 1965, a landmark ...

November 9, 2023 - “Throughout his life, John Lewis challenged us to be our best selves, to recognize the decency and value of every human being. His life reminds us of the power of one human being to change the world.

April 5, 2022 - What It Takes is an audio podcast produced by the American Academy of Achievement featuring intimate, revealing conversations with influential leaders in the diverse fields of endeavor: public service, science and exploration, sports, technology, business, arts and humanities, and justice. ... John Lewis was born to a family of sharecroppers outside of Troy, Alabama, at a time when African Americans in the South were subjected to a humiliating segregation in education and all public facilities, and were effectively prevented from voting by systematic discrimination and intimidation.

Lewis’s celebrated record of activism gave him a prominent place on Capitol Hill. Reporters sought his perspective on every important bill, controversy, or Democratic maneuver in Congress. His public comments carried significant weight within the Democratic Caucus and often garnered praise from Republicans.

June 13, 2022 - WHEREAS, during his 80 years on our earth, John Lewis seemed to get into one scrape of "good trouble" after another; and · WHEREAS, given the importance John Lewis placed on the right of all Americans to cast a free and unfettered ballot and to be certain that their vote counted, the House ...

Answer: Let me give you a quick education on Congressman John Lewis. He was born in Alabama in the year 1940, the child of sharecroppers. He was educated in segregated schools in the Jim Crow south, and taught not to “push the limit”. He desired to desegregate Troy State College where he lived.

January 24, 2023 - Lewis studied at the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville and helped organize lunch sit-ins against segregated restaurants, where Black and white people could not eat together, Sometimes he’d be arrested for his actions, but Lewis accepted being thrown in jail for fighting for what is right, or “good trouble,” as he’d later call it.

John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940–July 17, 2020) was a giant in the civil rights movement whose wisdom, courage, and moral clarity earned him the nickname “the conscience of the Congress” during his 17 terms as a representative of Georgia’s fifth congressional district.