Description
John Lewis was an American civil rights leader and a key figure in the struggle for racial equality in the United States. He was born to sharecropping parents in rural Alabama in 1940, and worked his way up to become a leader of the Civil Rights Movement and eventually a congressman.
Lewis was a major figure in the civil rights movement, and his leadership and activism helped to bring about landmark legislation such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was also a key organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, where he gave an iconic speech in which he famously said, “We are not afraid.”
Lewis also served as an advisor to President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and was the youngest speaker at the march. He was arrested and beaten multiple times during his activism, and was a major advocate for the non–violent protest tactics of the movement.
Lewis was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia’s 5th District in 1986, and served in Congress until his death in 2020. He was a champion of human rights, voting rights, and civil liberties, and was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 for his activism.
John Lewis was a tireless crusader for justice and equality, and his legacy will live on for generations to come.
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