In 1940, John Lewis was born the son of sharecroppers in rural Alabama. As a youth, he experienced the harsh realities of segregation and racism – forced to sit apart from white children and unable to share the same privileges they did. Today, Lewis is a leader in Congress and recently witnessed the swearing-in of Barack Obama, the first American-American president of the United States. The story of John Lewis is that of the struggle to transform the world of his youth to create the vastly expanded opportunities available today. In the words of Lewis, “I see my involvement in Congress, as not just representing the people of Georgia, but as a continuation of an ongoing struggle to create a truly multi-racial democracy in America.”

A Civil Rights Leader

John Lewis’s non-violent fight against injustice began at an early age. As a young man, Lewis heard the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., saw the actions of Rosa Parks, and was inspired to work for change. “My involvement with the Civil Rights Movement grew out of my faith, but also out of my sense of what was right and what was wrong. I didn’t want to live in a society or in a country where people were not being treated right, or fair, or just, and I felt like I had an obligation to do something,” said Lewis.

His talents were quickly recognized. In 1958, Martin Luther King, Jr. asked Lewis to join him in Montgomery, Alabama. Over the next few years, Lewis would become a leader in the civil rights movement. He participated in Freedom Rides and sit-ins across the South – often risking his life and safety.

In 1963, John Lewis – at the age of 23 – became Chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which organized sit-ins and other non-violent protests all across America. Lewis said, “The young people of [SNCC] must be looked upon, 50 years later, as the founding mothers and fathers of a new America. They gave in many instances, not just nights and days in jail, but some gave their very life, their very blood.” Representing SNCC, John Lewis was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. Two years later, in 1965, he helped to organize and participated in the march to Selma, Alabama, which later became known as “Bloody Sunday,” after the demonstrators were attacked by Alabama police officers.

Continuing the Legacy in Congress

This year, Representative Lewis hosted the tenth annual Congressional trip to Selma to commemorate that day with his colleagues. The route of the march, between Selma and Montgomery, is designated as a U.S. National Historic Trail – a result of legislation passed by Lewis. Rep. Lewis has also worked to ensure that other historic landmarks in the civil rights movement are preserved and fought to create a National African American Museum of History and Art on the National Mall. The museum is scheduled to open by 2015.

Looking to the future, Lewis said, “If this Congress and if this president can leave the next few months, or the next few years, leave this world a little more peaceful, a little cleaner, and a little greener, we will have made a major contribution to the generation being born.”