Last updated on 2020-07-19
Civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis died last night after months of treatment for advanced-stage pancreatic cancer. 57 years ago, Lewis was the youngest man to speak at the March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights leaders censored his speech, saying Lewis’s criticism of the Kennedy Administration and his call to burn down Jim Crow the way Sherman defeated the South were too militant.
John Lewis still spoke powerful words from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, words worth saying again today, and every day, until we wake up and fulfill Congressman John Lewis’s demand for justice and democracy for all:
Do you know that in Albany, Georgia nine of our leaders have been indicted, not by the Dixiecrats but by the federal government for peaceful protest? But what did the federal government do when Albany deputy sheriff beat Attorney C.B. King and left him half-dead? What did the federal government do when local police officials kicked and assaulted the pregnant wife of Slater King and she lost her baby?
To those who have said, “Be patient and wait,” we must say that we cannot be patient. We do not want our freedom gradually but we want to be free now.
We are tired. We are tired of being beat by policemen. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again, and then you holler “Be patient.” How long can we be patient? We want our freedom and we want it now.
We do not want to go to jail, but we will go to jail if this is the price we must pay for love, brotherhood and true peace. I appeal to all of you to get into this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village and hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes, until a revolution is complete. We must get in this revolution and complete the revolution. In the Delta of Mississippi, in Southwest Georgia, in the Black Belt of Alabama, in Harlem, in Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and all over this nation the black masses are on a march for jobs and freedom.
They’re talking about slow down and stop. We will not stop. All of the forces of Eastland, Barnett, Wallace, and Thurmond will not stop this revolution. If we do not get meaningful legislation out of this Congress, the time will come when we will not confine our march into Washington. We will march through the South, through the streets of Jackson, through the streets of Danville, through the streets of Cambridge, through the streets of Birmingham. But we will march with the spirit of love and with the spirit of dignity that we have shown here today.
By the forces of our demands, our determination and our numbers, we shall send a desegregated South into a thousand pieces, put them together in the image of God and Democracy. We must say wake up America, wake up! For we cannot stop, and we will not and cannot be patient [John Lewis, speech at the March on Washington, 1963.08.28].
Evidently worn out by another big day of online insults, Donald Trump has not used Twitter, his preferred mode of blurtication, to acknowledge the passing of this great man. President Barack Obama, who understands the importance of paragraphs, managed to bang out these 645 reverent and forward-looking words overnight on the legacy of a great man and the work his life calls us to continue:
America is a constant work in progress. What gives each new generation purpose is to take up the unfinished work of the last and carry it further — to speak out for what’s right, to challenge an unjust status quo, and to imagine a better world.
John Lewis — one of the original Freedom Riders, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the youngest speaker at the March on Washington, leader of the march from Selma to Montgomery, Member of Congress representing the people of Georgia for 33 years — not only assumed that responsibility, he made it his life’s work. He loved this country so much that he risked his life and his blood so that it might live up to its promise. And through the decades, he not only gave all of himself to the cause of freedom and justice, but inspired generations that followed to try to live up to his example.
Considering his enormous impact on the history of this country, what always struck those who met John was his gentleness and humility. Born into modest means in the heart of the Jim Crow South, he understood that he was just one of a long line of heroes in the struggle for racial justice. Early on, he embraced the principles of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience as the means to bring about real change in this country, understanding that such tactics had the power not only to change laws, but to change hearts and minds as well.
In so many ways, John’s life was exceptional. But he never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country might do. He believed that in all of us, there exists the capacity for great courage, a longing to do what’s right, a willingness to love all people, and to extend to them their God-given rights to dignity and respect. And it’s because he saw the best in all of us that he will continue, even in his passing, to serve as a beacon in that long journey towards a more perfect union.
I first met John when I was in law school, and I told him then that he was one of my heroes. Years later, when I was elected a U.S. Senator, I told him that I stood on his shoulders. When I was elected President of the United States, I hugged him on the inauguration stand before I was sworn in and told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made. And through all those years, he never stopped providing wisdom and encouragement to me and Michelle and our family. We will miss him dearly.
It’s fitting that the last time John and I shared a public forum was at a virtual town hall with a gathering of young activists who were helping to lead this summer’s demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Afterwards, I spoke to him privately, and he could not have been prouder of their efforts — of a new generation standing up for freedom and equality, a new generation intent on voting and protecting the right to vote, a new generation running for political office. 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 [President Barack Obama, “My Statement on the Passing of Rep. John Lewis,” Medium, 2020.07.18].
Be John Lewis’s children. Complete the Revolution that began in 1776. Remake America to live up to its full promise. Redeem the soul of America and the soul of the world.
I gave a little blood, but other people gave their lives.
Lewis was one hell of an american & a true patriot !he was also a big supporter of geo.mcgovern’s ag policy & visa-versa.he & george & of course jim abouresk were true patriots with backbone to take a stand for human rights for rural & all americans who seem to lack a voice in US.politicks.
drump, “I could never walk a mile in his shoes. Not expensive enough shoes and I had bone spurs.” “I am a better golfer, though, and that is what America needs to hear from me.”
“If Lewis and King and other rabble rousers would have stopped protesting and gotten jobs, they could have bought a car and drove over that bridge to where ever they were marching.” ” Not a hero in my book. Too bad daddy wasn’t wealthy like mine. Makes him a loser, in my book.”
(for trolls out there, I made this up)
MFI, the President is out golfing this morning. He has tweeted out 30 times since Lewis’ passing — none about Lewis.
John Lewis said the most perfect thing ever about Fat Nixon.
“I don’t see this president-elect as a legitimate president,” Lewis said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” a week before Trump was sworn into office. “I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected and they have destroyed the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.”
Whenever you heard Congressman John Lewis speak, whether it be at the podium or in an interview, you could sense his soul. I don’t think you can say that about most people. Mr. Lewis was not only a great civil rights leader, but one who was blessed with a passion and commitment, which should inspire us all to be more in our own lives, in order, to make this a better world.
The pragmatism, which might of tempered Mr. Lewis in 1963, is a lesson for us all to never lose the focus or passion even if timing, at times, overrides the whenever applications of our commitment.
Mr. Lewis’s speech in 1963 made mention of how low wages kept many from being in Washington that day. Dr. King’s last speech, the night before this death, was about wages, too, about a garbage haulers’ strike in Memphis, and the need for economic justice. Without ignoring, or to stymie, the move for greater civil rights today in the age of the George Floyd movement, let us also not forget the need to still champion the issue of higher wages for all in this nation regardless of color, so as to empower people of all races with an opportunity, which itself can be a sunlight, that can help to disinfect the rages of discrimination and the lack of opportunity which impact too many today in our greater society.
Last night on MSNBC, Jon Meacham, gave an exceptional tribute to Rep. John Lewis.
This is Meacham this morning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw2GlGGUOx8
Would that we could all die knowing we had led lives of such integrity, honor, courage, and patriotism.
Excellent post Cory. Thank you so much. I feel such a deep sense of loss, even though I didn’t know Rep. Lewis personally. It’s what he represented, I think, the deep goodness of my country at it’s very best.
Thanks for the link, John.
Meacham called John Lewis “transcendent” and a “saint.”
Yes to both. He transcended race and political party. He was a saint, not in the sense of gauzy perfection, for he was not at all perfect. No saints ever are. But he dedicated his entire life to fighting for equality for everyone. Who does that? Literally, who does that?
IMO, John Lewis deserves a place among the greatest Americans. He was not a founder of the nation, but he led the way to making it greater beside MLK.
I was so fortunate to learn from a “transcendent” professor in grad school/seminary.
Dr. Bill Smith appeared as ordinary as his name. He was short and very soft spoken. Students in his classes had to remain very silent to hear him and we were glad to do so. He never wrote a book as nearly every prof does. He always said we students were his books.
Bill Smith loved us and he wanted us to be gifts to our congregations as he considered us gifts to him. We treasured him, though he was extraordinarily humble and even perhaps shy.
Although there was nothing remarkable or notable about Bill Smith; you’d never notice him in a crowd, he made us all want to be better people. He made us want to be kinder, gentler, more loving.
I will never, ever forget Dr. Bill Smith or feel less than enormously grateful to him.
I feel Rep. John Lewis left people with similar feelings.
That is transcendence.
I hadn’t realized John Lewis was such an historic leader from the Civil Rights Movement and felt bad that I didn’t know this. I felt a sad loss hearing about this great man dying and wished I had known more about him when he was alive. Humble heroism – Rest in Peace, John Lewis. You deserve it.
Look around and point out any and all wingnut icons, who have passed, with a resume that could stand up against the legacy of this man. Or other civil rights leaders.
Like JKC, I appreciated the soul that came through on Congressman Lewis’s words. He could still be funny, as he did in The Daily Show clip above when he talked about looking good in the second-hand suit he bought for $5 to get arrested in, but you could tell he was still focused on telling the important story and doing the important work he had set as his life’s mission.
John Lewis led a serious life.
We need to elect more people like John Lewis who speak soulfully and live seriously in service to others.
MFI points to a serious deficiency in the pantheon of celebrated conservative heros. We usually don’t celebrate those who stand in the doors of progress denying people their rights or those who proudly kick people off the mobility ladder.
I guess Reagan is still considered a conservative leader, deserving of laurels. His speeches, of course, elevated him to the shining city on a hill, while his policies sent the rest of to a van by the river. Giving an elevating speech is often part of what we admire in a leader, even if the follow through is lacking.
For every John Lewis there are thousands of people who come out and march and sacrifice. They are heros, too. What I loved about Lewis was he kept pushing new people forward.