John Lewis: Civil Rights Leader

About five years later, he was elected to the House of Representatives. As of today, he is representing Georgia in the fifth district, and is a highly respected member of congress. Lewis has done many things to bring about change, but he felt it was always more to do. Some of the things he has called for is the health care reform, measures to fight poverty and to improve education in schools. He also over saw multiple renewals of the Voting Rights Act. When it came down to the voting rights something always would happen, especially when the supreme court struck down part of the law in 2013’s Shelby County vs. Holder. Lewis decried the decision as a “dagger into the heart” of voting rights.

“To stand up for what you believe in is more important than to be scared of imprisonment or death.” – Socrates The Apology

Lewis mentions, “But eventually I began spending more time doing schoolwork, studying, and my eyes began opening to the world around me” (Lewis and Aydin 1:35). Or another way to say it, he became a student and a protestor, but does he really start opening his eyes to the world? Well, everything happened during his first trip to the north. His uncle Otis invited him to Buffalo, New York, and visit his family. This trip is very important because it helped him to understand the injustice in the south against the Black community and get a clearer vision of what the Black people should be fighting and demanding for in the south. Quotes like, “I was not disappointed” (Lewis and Aydin 1:42) and “… travel was an otherworldly experience” (Lewis and Aydin 1:43). They express his emotions and try to give us a context of how amazing the north was. Lewis tells us, “I could not believe that they had white people living next door to them. On both sides” (Lewis and Aydin 1:43). His first impression was huge, something that was pretty much forbidden in the south was a “myth” in the north. Finally, when his visit to Buffalo ends, he says, “After that trip, home never felt the same and neither did I” (Lewis and Aydin 1:47). I wonder if that is really the beginning of a new John Lewis, the one who does not care how many times he has to go to jail for his

Throughout history, people have made sacrifices, changes, and big decisions that later sometimes result in something grand. These grand occurrences can either be good or bad. Usually as time goes on these events and most well-known people of this time are highlighted in history classes for students to learn and to honor those of that time. However, some of the smaller people that contributed to historical events aren’t as highlighted as those that were seen as the big leaders. For example, in the American Revolution, the people that usually come to mind are George Washington, Paul Revere, and Thomas Jefferson. What about the people who were injured, scared and killed because of this bloody war? They seem to be forgotten until they are highlighted once again. Another example of a person that was not really highlighted for their actions is Nina Simone. She made an impact on the Civil Right Movement that not many other artist or celebrity would have done. When you think of the Civil Rights Movement the first three that come to mind of course are, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and Rosa Parks. So, when someone hears the name Nina Simone the two most common responses might be “Who’s that?” or “Oh the singer?”. But what is forgotten is how she, at such a high level, put her reputation at a risk. Nina Simone was a very well-known singer of the 1950s and 1960s especially for her song “Feeling Good”. She didn’t just use her popularity for fame and money but to express

“The bottom line is, people have a right to live their lives even if it doesn’t match what you think is correct. When we fight for civil rights, we must fight for equality for all; anything less is hypocrisy and an insult to the definition of justice itself.” Rev. Al Sharpton is a long time civil rights leader, minister, talk show host, and even has been known to give president Obama advice on civil rights issues. Sharpton’s article is set up by touching on unfair transgender laws in North Carolina, statements made by U.S. representatives, and the civil rights movement as a whole. He limits the article the time period beginning in the civil rights movement. Ding this allows the reader to only think about civil rights from a more progressive mindset. Sharpton does this all from his view. Due to his experience as a civil rights leader he speaks about the movement from a stronger perspective than most.

John Lewis spares his experience going to jail as seen when Lewis goes to prison for the first time. Lewis states, "Surrounded by so many of our Friends, we felt like prisoners in a holy war." (Lewis and Aydin 1: 104). In other words, Lewis describes the jail as being a prisoner in a war. Lewis going to jail made them protest all the more by Lewis saying; "We weren't about to cooperate in any way with the system allowing the very discrimination, we were protesting." (Lewis and Aydin 1: 105). In other words, John Lewis believes they were all still protesting even in jail until Lewis and the prisoners were released later that night. After they left the jail the next morning Dr. Wright, the College President at Fisk University, was the first black man to take a stand in the country against the

African Americans were fighting for freedom for centuries. They were treated very badly and they had supposedly going to have a better way of life after WWII. Keep reading to find out how African Americans struggled for equality in voting and the opportunity for a good quality education.

On November 19, 2016 I went to Price County Superior Court from 9:30am-12pm. I watched the court session in room 202A of case #16-077-01126 between John Lewis and the State of Washington. Present in the courtroom was Judge Whitener, prosecutor Lewis of WA state, John Lewis the defendant representing himself, an appointed court member to assist the defendant, Deputy Kevin Pressel who gave the witness testimony, and lastly the court reporter, clerk, and bailiff (no jury). In this case, Lewis driving a truck was being followed by another vehicle who also reported that Lewis shot a revolver out his window. The two vehicles ultimately crashed and police were called to the scene. Pressel was first to arrive and identified and detained Lewis. Soon after Pressel identified a firearm in the truck, but Lewis denied he had a firearm and thinks it was planted by the people in other vehicle. The court session today between Lewis and WA State, was questing the legality of Pressel taking the Firearm from the vehicle without warrant and if the firearm is tampered evidence.

During the civil rights era, there were many iconic figures who created everlasting change. Although there were many individuals who did such thing, there were certain people who caused more of a major impact than others during this time in history. One of those icons were John Lewis, who teamed up with Andrew Aydin to create the March trilogy. These pieces examined John Lewis himself and his path throughout the civil rights movement. There were numerous factors that led John Lewis to become the civil rights activist that he became. Some may argue that every factor helped him in an equal way. However, I believe that although every factor helped drive him to become who he set out

Since ministers from the black church rose as formal charismatic leaders in the movement, there was not a situation in which a woman could be a charismatic leader.

During the most volatile times in American history, when African Americans had reached the breaking point and made the commitment to forever change the way society treated them, John Lewis had a huge impact on the civil rights movement. John lead peaceful protests, inspired thousands, and changed the world. As John started growing, he began to notice things weren’t fair, such as how the whites had a playground and the blacks had a dirt field, how the roads only got paved if the whites would need to go there. John’s parents didn't want him to make any waves because they were fine with their lives, but he wasn't. There were many turning points in John Lewis’s life. When he got his first bible he decided to become a preacher. When he leaves Alabama

My topic was a very unique one, for it has an important meaning to history. I chose this particular one, first, because it falls under the NHD theme, and second was the amount of empathy I felt with my topic. I had already knew who Thurgood Marshall was, but I didn’t know a lot about him. My curiosity to research more on him, pushed me to do this topic. This subject was important to select, for he was a civil rights activist, Supreme Court Justice, and he changed U.S. laws that discriminated against colored people.

As illustrated in his graphic novel, March, John Lewis was an important leader in the Civil Rights movement, alongside other well-known leaders, such as Martin Luther King and Malcom X. He helped lead people to a way of non-violently protesting the segregation and the cruelty surrounding the African-American community. Without him, the protests could have easily devolved from calmly standing for something that they believe in to filling the streets with blood and violence from both sides. All his life, he has recognized the unfairness that he could see all around him, and he never liked it. Whether it was watching his preacher drive away in a very nice car while others were struggling (Lewis and Aydin 1: 54) or seeing the white students using

John Robert Lewis was faced much adversity through his life, whether it be from a sit-in, or the freedom ride, John Robert Lewis was an inspiration, and an idol to many after him, not only that but a political ingenious. Lewis knew how much of an impact he had made on the Civil Rights movement.

There was a time when your race defined you everywhere. Whether you were walking down the street, riding a bus, or even just drinking from a water fountain you were defined by the color of your skin. This was a time of segregation and inequality. This was the Civil Rights Era. Was he really the most influential ? There were many influential leaders in this era, but the most influential were the Freedom Riders. The Riders had a background of inequality that caused a world changing movement, and a very long lasting impact on society and freedom.