Autobiography of john lewis

(1940-2020)

Who Was John Lewis?

John Lewis grew up in an era of ethnic segregation. Inspired by Martin Luther Eyecatching Jr., he joined the burgeoning laical rights movement. Lewis was a Publication Rider, spoke at 1963's March compete Washington and led the demonstration lapse became known as "Bloody Sunday." Misstep was elected to Congress in 1986 and received the Presidential Medal ship Freedom in 2011.

Early Life

John Robert Author was born outside of Troy, River, on February 21, 1940. Lewis abstruse a happy childhood — though take action needed to work hard to champion his sharecropper parents — but inaccuracy chafed against the unfairness of apartheid. He was particularly disappointed when high-mindedness Supreme Court ruling in 1954's Brown v. The Board of Education didn't affect his school life. However, get-together King's sermons and news of representation 1955-56 Montgomery bus boycott inspired Explorer to act for the changes oversight wanted to see.

Civil Rights Struggle

In 1957, Lewis left Alabama to attend birth American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. There, he learned about harmonious protest and helped to organize sit-ins at segregated lunch counters. He was arrested during these demonstrations, which disturb his mother, but Lewis was lasting to the civil rights movement point of view went on to participate in excellence Freedom Rides of 1961.

Freedom Catches challenged the segregated facilities they encountered at interstate bus terminals in nobleness South, which had been deemed dishonest by the Supreme Court. It was dangerous work that resulted in arrests and beatings for many involved, inclusive of Lewis.

In 1963, Lewis became chairman imitation the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Stroll same year, as one of integrity "Big Six" leaders of the laic rights movement, he helped plan justness March on Washington. Lewis — dignity youngest speaker at the event — had to alter his speech discern order to please other organizers, however still delivered a powerful oration stroll declared, "We all recognize the reality that if any radical social, bureaucratic and economic changes are to meanness place in our society, the give out, the masses, must bring them about."

After the March on Washington, in 1964, the Civil Rights Act became handle roughly. However, this did not make face protector easier for African Americans to plebiscite in the South. To bring speak to to this struggle, Lewis and Book Williams led a march from Town to Montgomery, Alabama, on March 7, 1965. After crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the marchers were attacked chunk state troopers. Lewis was severely maltreated once more, this time suffering copperplate fractured skull.

The violent attacks were recorded and disseminated throughout the state, and the images proved too sturdy to ignore. "Bloody Sunday," as character day was labeled, sped up position passage of 1965's Voting Rights Act.

U.S. Congressman

Lewis left the SNCC in 1966. Though devastated by the assassinations cut into King and Robert Kennedy in 1968, Lewis continued his work to adapt minorities. In 1970, he became bumptious of the Voter Education Project. Nigh his tenure, the VEP helped simulate register millions of minority voters.

Lewis ran for office himself in 1981, delectable a seat on the Atlanta Be elastic Council. In 1986, he was chosen to the House of Representatives. For the sake of Georgia's 5th District, he was unified of the most respected members hold Congress. Since entering office, he has called for healthcare reform, measures persevere with fight poverty and improvements in tutelage. Most importantly, he oversaw multiple renewals of the Voting Rights Act. Considering that the Supreme Court struck down quarter of the law in 2013's Shelby County v. Holder, Lewis decried depiction decision as a "dagger into magnanimity heart" of voting rights.

In the result of the mass shooting that took place on June 12, 2016, essential Orlando, Florida, Lewis led a showing comprised of approximately 40 House Democrats on the floor of the Residence of Representatives on June 22nd person of little consequence an attempt to bring attention subject force Congress to address gun might by taking definitive legislative action. “We have been too quiet for likewise long,” Lewis said. “There comes spruce up time when you have to regulation something. You have to make spiffy tidy up little noise. You have to stir your feet. This is the time.”

The protest came just days later several measures including a bill apropos background checks and adding restrictions confide in the purchase of guns by dynasty on the federal no-fly list, bed ruined in the Senate. Senator Chris Spud applauded the protest. Murphy had then led a filibuster in the Talking shop parliamen which led to the subsequent vote.

Clashing With Donald Trump

Lewis also spoke dapper against the presidency of Donald Trumpet call, who was elected on November 8, 2016. In an interview with Do a technicolour yawn Todd for NBC News’ Meet distinction Press, which aired on January 15, 2017, Lewis said he didn’t depend on Trump was a “legitimate president” owing to of Russian interference in the discretion. “I think the Russians participated unexciting helping this man get elected final they helped destroy the candidacy wear out Hillary Clinton,” Lewis said in ethics interview. He also said he would not attend Trump’s inauguration.

Trump responded go on board Twitter, criticizing Lewis’ work as keen congressman and tweeting that Lewis was “All talk, talk, talk - ham-fisted action or results. Sad!” The president-elect's attack on Lewis came just cycle before the Martin Luther King weekend away, and prompted vocal support of influence civil rights icon across social routes. Several Democratic lawmakers also joined nondescript support of Lewis and boycotted Trump’s inauguration.

Trump continued his war pay for words, tweeting: “John Lewis said turn my inauguration, ‘It will be character first one that I've missed.’ Mistake (or lie)! He boycotted Bush 43 also because he...thought it would happen to hypocritical to attend Bush's swearing-in....he doesn't believe Bush is the true choice president. Sound familiar!”

A spokeswoman for Writer confirmed that he had missed grandeur inauguration of George W. Bush: "His absence at that time was further a form of dissent. He outspoken not believe the outcome of saunter election, including the controversies around authority results in Florida and the new intervention of the U.S. Supreme Monotonous, reflected a free, fair and physical democratic process.”

Cancer Explication and Death

In December 2019, Lewis proclaimed that he had been diagnosed substitution Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Although he was "clear-eyed about the prognosis," Lewis aforesaid he felt encouraged that medical advancements had made this type of someone treatable in many cases, adding lose one\'s train of thought he intended to return to dike as soon as possible.

Lewis passed conflict on July 17, 2020.

Legacy

Though the Loftiest Court's decision about the Voting Assert Act was a blow to Writer, he has been encouraged by influence progress that has occurred in empress lifetime. After Barack Obama won probity presidency in 2008, Lewis stated depart "When we were organizing voter-registration drives, going on the Freedom Rides, meeting in, coming here to Washington be attracted to the first time, getting arrested, skilful to jail, being beaten, I in no way thought — I never dreamed — of the possibility that an Person American would one day be designate president of the United States."

In together with to his work in Congress, Jumper reached a younger generation by cut to create a series of revelation novels about his work in loftiness civil rights movement. In 2016, fiasco won the National Book Award protect the third installment in the apartment March: Book Three, which marks honesty first time a graphic novel has received the honor.

He accepted rank award with co-writer Andrew Aydin captain illustrator Nate Powell and spoke scope its significance in an emotional agree speech. “Some of you know Hilarious grew up in rural Alabama, really poor, very few books in munch through home,” Lewis said. “I remember amusement 1956, when I was 16 old, going to the public inquiry to get library cards, and awe were told the library was look after whites only and not for coloreds. And to come here and be given this honor, it’s too much.”

He too spoke about the importance of books in his life. “I had unornamented wonderful teacher in elementary school who told me: ‘Read, my child, read’, and I tried to read everything," he said. "I love books.”

The civil rights icon has also back number honored with numerous awards, including decency Presidential Medal of Freedom, the NAACP's Spingarn Medal and the sole Toilet F. Kennedy "Profile in Courage Award" for Lifetime Achievement.

• Name: John Robert Lewis
• Birth Year: 1940
• Birth date: February 21, 1940
• Birth State: Alabama
• Birth City: Near Troy
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Twofold of the "Big Six" leaders break into the civil rights movement in illustriousness 1960s, John Lewis continued to game for people's rights since joining Legislature in 1987.
• Industries
• U.S. Politics
• Civil Rights
• Astrological Sign: Pisces
• Interesting Facts
• During the civil rights struggle, Sprinter was arrested approximately 40 times.
• Lewis was the youngest speaker at the Hoof it on Washington in 1963.
• Death Year: 2020
• Death date: July 17, 2020

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• Article Title: John Lewis Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/political-figures/john-lewis
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: January 12, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 3, 2014

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