Alison Morretta - John Lewis: Civil Rights Champion and Congressman

Published in 2020 by Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC

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Copyright 2020 by Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC

First Edition

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Morretta, Alison, author.

Title: John Lewis: Civil Rights Champion and Congressman / Alison Morretta.

Description: First edition. | New York, NY: Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC, 2020. |

Series: African American trailblazers | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Audience: Grades 9-12.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018056232 (print) | LCCN 2018057002 (ebook) | ISBN 9781502645500 (ebook) |

ISBN 9781502645494 (library bound) | ISBN 9781502645487 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Lewis, John, 1940 February 21- | African American civil rights workers--Biography--Juvenile

literature. | Civil rights workers--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature. | United States. Congress.

House--Biography--Juvenile literature. | Legislators--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC E840.8.L43 (ebook) | LCC E840.8.L43 M67 2020 (print) | DDC 328.73/092 [B] --dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018056232

Editorial Director: David McNamara

Editor: Kristen Susienka

Copy Editor: Rebecca Rohan

Associate Art Director: Alan Sliwinski

Designer: Joe Parenteau

Production Coordinator: Karol Szymczuk

Photo Research: J8 Media

The photographs in this book are used by permission and through the courtesy of: Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
A Man of Action

ONE
A Difficult History

TWO
The Boy from Troy

THREE
Different Visions for Change

FOUR
Getting in the Way

FIVE
From Activist to Politician

SIX
The Conscience of the Congress

On February 14, 2015, Congressman John Lewis stands on the Edmund Pettus Bridge where he and other civil rights activists were met with violent opposition from local authorities nearly fifty years earlier.

INTRODUCTION

A Man of Action

C ongressman John Lewis has spent his entire life fighting for civil rights and equality for all Americans. By the time he was in his early twenties, he had done more to bring about substantive change in the United States than most people do in a lifetime. Growing up black in Alabama in the 1940s and 1950s, Lewis learned very quickly that the races were separate, but they were not equal. Even as a teenager, he was determined to do something about that.

Faith in Action

Lewiss faith is incredibly important to him, and he originally wanted to become a minister like his idol, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The social gospel that King preached spoke to Lewis, who ultimately decided to commit to activism full time. He used his time at seminary school in Nashville, Tennessee, to learn and practice the philosophy of nonviolence and lead a student movement that would make headlines. Lewis chose a new career path, but he did not abandon his faith. Instead, he applied it to his work. His form of nonviolent activism was his faith in action.

One of Lewiss most deeply held beliefs is in the Beloved Community about which Dr. King preached so passionately. For Lewis, the Beloved Community is the ultimate life goal; it is true social justice and harmony, only achievable through nonviolent action. According to the King Center, which works to promote the reverends legacy and ideals, the Beloved Community is a global vision, in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In it, problems such as poverty, hunger, and homelessness arent tolerated because people simply do not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry, and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. In this community, international disputes are resolved peacefully, rather than through military strength and dominance. Love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice will prevail over war and military conflict. The Beloved Community is, for Lewis, nothing short of the kingdom of God on earth.

Lewis has worked toward this goal since he was a teenager, putting his physical safety and freedom on the line over and over. As a young man, he suffered verbal abuse, beatings, and jailing by the enemies of equality in the Jim Crow South, but he never faltered or wavered or resorted to violence in the face of all that hate. From lunch counters in Nashville to bus rides down into the Deep South, voter registration in Mississippi, and a dangerous clash on a bridge in Selma, Alabama, John Lewis has been at the forefront of the civil rights movement, working toward that Beloved Community.

Lewis speaks at a 2013 immigration rally at the US Capitol, encouraging Congress to pass immigration reform legislation and to provide a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Embracing Politics

Lewis decided to go into politics in order to try to effect change from the inside. He was elected to Congress as the US House Representative for Georgias Fifth District in 1986 and has held that office ever since. In his position as a congressman, he has always been outspoken when it comes to things he views as unjust, and he votes with his conscience.

Now in his late seventies, Lewis is still out in the streets protesting with the people, leading sit-ins, and even being arrested, all in the name of what he believes is right. He does this not just for black Americans but for the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and other groups being denied their right to freedom and equality. And he will continue to champion for the rights of others for years to come.

This 1865 illustration depicts former slaves traveling north after their emancipation following the Civil War and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery.

CHAPTER ONE