John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and government leader who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020.

He took part in the 1960 Nashville sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, and was the leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from 1963 to 1966. He was also one of the "Big Six" leaders who helped organize the 1963 March on Washington. He played important roles in the civil rights movement, which worked to end legal racial segregation in the United States. In 1965, he led the first of three Selma to Montgomery marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. During this event, known as Bloody Sunday, state troopers and police attacked Lewis and other marchers.

A member of the Democratic Party, Lewis was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986 and served 17 terms. The district he represented included most of Atlanta. Because of his long time in office, he became the most experienced member of the Georgia congressional delegation. He was a leader in the Democratic Party in the House, serving as chief deputy whip from 1991 and as senior chief deputy whip from 2003. He received many honorary degrees and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Early life and education

John Robert Lewis was born near Troy, Alabama, on February 21, 1940. He was the third of ten children born to Willie Mae (née Carter) and Eddie Lewis. His parents were farm workers in rural Pike County, Alabama, where Troy was the county seat. His great-grandfather, Frank Carter, was born enslaved in the same county in 1862 and lived until Lewis was seven years old.

As a boy, Lewis wanted to be a preacher. At age five, he spoke to his family’s chickens on the farm. As a young child, he rarely met white people because most people in his county were Black, and his family worked as farmers. By the time he was six, Lewis had only seen two white people in his life. He said, "I grew up in rural Alabama, very poor, with few books in our home." He attended a small school that required walking long distances from his home. He described the school as a Rosenwald School, which was supported by the community and was the only school available. He said, "I had a wonderful teacher in elementary school, who told me, 'Read, my child!' I tried to read everything. I loved books. In 1956, when I was 16, I went with some of my brothers, sisters, and cousins to the public library to get a library card. We were told the library was only for white people, not for Black people." As he grew older, he visited Troy with his family and faced racism and segregation there. He had relatives in northern cities who told him that in the North, schools, buses, and businesses had no racial separation. When he was 11, an uncle took him to Buffalo, New York, where he saw the differences between the North and the segregated South.

In 1955, Lewis first heard Martin Luther King Jr. on the radio. He followed King’s Montgomery bus boycott later that year. At age 15, Lewis gave his first public sermon. At 17, he met Rosa Parks, who was known for her role in the bus boycott, and met King for the first time when he was 18. Later, Lewis said that evangelist Billy Graham, a friend of King’s, helped him change his life and inspired him to become a minister.

After writing to King about being denied admission to Troy University in Alabama, Lewis was invited to meet with him. King, who called Lewis "the boy from Troy," discussed suing the university for discrimination but warned Lewis that doing so could put his family in danger. After talking with his parents, Lewis chose to attend a small, historically Black college in Tennessee instead.

Lewis graduated from the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee, and became a Baptist minister. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in religion and philosophy from Fisk University, also a historically Black college. He was a member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

Student activism and SNCC

John Lewis was a student who became an activist in the civil rights movement. He helped organize sit-ins at lunch counters in Nashville that were only for white people. He also took part in other civil rights activities as part of the Nashville Student Movement. These sit-ins helped end segregation at lunch counters in the city's downtown area. Lewis was arrested many times during peaceful protests to end segregation. He also helped organize bus boycotts and other peaceful protests to support voting rights and racial equality.

Lewis believed it was important to take action, even if it was difficult, to create change. He called this "good trouble, necessary trouble" and followed this belief for the rest of his life.

As a student, Lewis attended workshops on nonviolence at Clark Memorial United Methodist Church. These workshops were led by Rev. James Lawson and Rev. Kelly Miller Smith. Lewis and other students learned about the philosophy of nonviolence and practiced it for the rest of his life.

In 1961, Lewis became one of the 13 original Freedom Riders. This group included seven Black people and six white people. They traveled by bus from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans to challenge segregation on interstate buses. The Freedom Rides aimed to force the federal government to follow a Supreme Court decision that said segregated bus travel was not allowed. However, local and state governments did little to protect the riders from violence. After violent attacks in South Carolina and Alabama, the federal government asked for a temporary stop to the Freedom Rides.

During the Freedom Rides, Lewis and other activists faced violence. At age 21, Lewis was attacked in Rock Hill, South Carolina, when he tried to enter a whites-only waiting room. He was hit in the face and kicked in the ribs. Later, he joined a Freedom Ride to Jackson, Mississippi. He was later imprisoned for 40 days in a prison in Mississippi.

In an interview with CNN, Lewis described the violence he and other Freedom Riders faced. In Birmingham, riders were beaten by a mob that included members of the Ku Klux Klan. Police arrested them and then released them in Tennessee. The riders continued their journey to Montgomery, where Lewis was hit in the head with a wooden crate and left unconscious.

When the Freedom Ride was stopped because of the violence, Lewis and activist Diane Nash worked with students from Nashville to continue the effort.

In 2009, 48 years after an attack in Montgomery, Lewis received an apology from Elwin Wilson, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Lewis knew Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, who were killed in Mississippi in 1964 by members of the Ku Klux Klan, including law enforcement.

In 1963, Lewis became the leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) after Charles McDew stepped down. He had already been arrested 24 times for peaceful protests. He was one of the youngest leaders of the "Big Six" group organizing the March on Washington in 1963. He spoke before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and gave a speech criticizing the federal government for not protecting African Americans from violence or helping them vote.

In 1964, SNCC started Freedom Schools and the Mississippi Freedom Summer to help register Black voters. Lewis helped organize these efforts. In 1965, he worked on the Selma voting rights campaign. On March 7, 1965, Lewis and Hosea Williams led a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. They were attacked by police, and Lewis was seriously injured. This event became known as "Bloody Sunday."

Field Foundation, SRC, and VEP (1966–1977)

In 1966, Lewis moved to New York City to work as the associate director of the Field Foundation of New York. He stayed there for about one year before returning to Atlanta to lead the Southern Regional Council's Community Organization Project. While working at the Field Foundation, he finished his degree from Fisk University.

In 1970, Lewis became the director of the Voter Education Project (VEP), a role he held until 1977. The VEP was first started by the Southern Regional Council but became an independent organization in 1971. Even though challenges arose during the 1973–1975 recession, Lewis helped the VEP register nearly four million minority voters under his leadership. During his time as director, the VEP grew its mission to include organizing Voter Mobilization Tours.

Early work in government (1977–1986)

In January 1977, current Democratic U.S. Congressman Andrew Young of Georgia's 5th congressional district resigned and took a new position as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. under President Jimmy Carter. In the March 1977 open primary election, Atlanta City Councilman Wyche Fowler received the most votes with 40%, but he did not get enough votes to win outright. Lewis received 29% of the vote, placing second. In the April election, Fowler defeated Lewis with 62% of the vote to Lewis's 38%.

After losing the election, Lewis joined the Carter administration as associate director of ACTION, overseeing the VISTA program, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and the Foster Grandparent Program. He held this position for two and a half years, leaving it as the 1980 election approached.

In 1981, Lewis ran for an at-large seat on the Atlanta City Council. He won with 69% of the vote and served on the council until 1986.

U.S. House of Representatives

Wyche Fowler served in the U.S. House of Representatives for nine years. He then left his seat to run for the U.S. Senate. John Lewis decided to run for the 5th district again. In the August Democratic primary, where a victory was almost guaranteed, State Senator Julian Bond ranked first with 47%, just three points away from winning outright. Lewis finished in second place with 35%. In the second round of voting, Lewis defeated Bond 52% to 48%. The race caused tension in Atlanta's Black community, as many Black leaders had supported Bond over Lewis. Newspapers in Atlanta supported Lewis, and he was popular with white liberal leaders. His victory was due to strong support from white voters, who were a minority in the district. During the campaign, he ran advertisements that accused Bond of corruption, suggested Bond used cocaine, and claimed Bond had lied about his civil rights activism.

In the November general election, Lewis defeated Republican Portia Scott 75% to 25%.

Lewis was reelected 18 times. He dropped below 70% of the vote in the general election only once in 1994, when he defeated Republican Dale Dixon by a 38-point margin, 69%–31%. He ran unopposed in 1996, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2014, and 2018.

Lewis faced challenges in the Democratic primary only two times: in 1992 and 2008. In 1992, he defeated State Representative Mable Thomas 76% to 24%. In 2008, Thomas challenged Lewis again; Markel Hutchins also ran. Lewis defeated Hutchins and Thomas 69% to 16% to 15%.

Lewis represented Georgia's 5th congressional district, one of the most consistently Democratic districts in the nation. Since its creation in 1845, the district has been represented by a Democrat for most of its history.

Lewis was one of the most liberal congressmen in the Deep South. He was labeled a "Hard-Core Liberal" by On the Issues. The Washington Post described him in 1998 as "a fiercely partisan Democrat but also fiercely independent." Lewis described himself as a strong and committed liberal. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said he was the "only former major civil rights leader who extended his fight for human rights and racial reconciliation to the halls of Congress." The newspaper also said that many people, including U.S. senators and young congressional aides, called him the "conscience of Congress." Lewis admired Florida Senator and later Representative Claude Pepper, a strong liberal. He also supported gay rights and national health insurance.

Lewis opposed the 1991 Gulf War and the 2000 U.S. trade agreement with China. He opposed the Clinton administration on NAFTA and welfare reform. After welfare reform passed, Lewis said, "Where is the sense of decency? What does it profit a great nation to conquer the world, only to lose its soul?" In 1994, when Clinton considered invading Haiti, Lewis opposed armed intervention. After a peaceful transition of power, Lewis supported U.S. troops in Haiti as part of Operation Uphold Democracy, calling it a "mission of peace." In 1998, when Clinton considered a military strike against Iraq, Lewis said he would support the president if American forces were ordered into action. In 2001, three days after the September 11 attacks, Lewis voted to give President George W. Bush authority to use force against the perpetrators of 9/11 in a vote that passed 420–1. In 2002, he sponsored the Peace Tax Fund bill, a proposal to allow people to avoid paying taxes for military spending. Lewis was a strong critic of President Bush and an early opponent of the Iraq War. The Associated Press said he was "the first major House figure to suggest impeaching George W. Bush," arguing the president "deliberately, systematically violated the law" by authorizing wiretaps without a warrant. Lewis said, "He is not king, he is president."

Lewis used his history in the Civil Rights Movement as part of his politics. Each year, he traveled to Alabama to walk the same path he took in 1965 during the Selma to Montgomery march. That trip became popular among lawmakers who wanted to associate with Lewis and the movement. Lewis said, "We don't deliberately set out to win votes, but it's very helpful." In recent years, the Faith and Politics Institute faced criticism for selling seats on the trip to lobbyists for at least $25,000 each. According to the Center for Public Integrity, even Lewis said he would feel "much better" if the institute's funding came from churches and foundations instead of corporations.

On June 3, 2011, the House passed a resolution calling for the United States to withdraw from air and naval operations in Libya. Lewis voted against the resolution.

In a 2002 article, Lewis quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. responding to an anti-Zionist student at a 1967 Harvard meeting, saying, "When people criticize Zionists they mean Jews, you are talking anti-Semitism." Lewis also shared other statements by King about the relationship between African Americans and American Jews in working for liberation and peace, including one from March 25, 1968: "Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality."

Lewis strongly disagreed with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel and co-sponsored a resolution condemning the pro-Palestinian group. However, he supported a House resolution opposing U.S. anti-boycott legislation that banned the boycott

Biographies

In 1998, John Lewis co-wrote his autobiography, Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement, with Mike D’Orso. The book won several awards, including the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Christopher Award, and the Lillian Smith Book Award. It appeared on many bestseller lists, was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, was selected as the American Library Association’s Nonfiction Book of the Year, and was included in Newsweek magazine’s 2009 list of “50 Books For Our Times.” Critics praised the book, with The Washington Post calling it “the definitive account of the civil rights movement” and The Los Angeles Times stating it would “become a classic in civil rights literature.”

A 2002 book for young readers, John Lewis: From Freedom Rider to Congressman, was written about his life. In 2012, Lewis and Brenda Jones co-wrote Across That Bridge, which received mixed reviews. Publishers Weekly noted that the book “provides a testament to the power of nonviolence in social movements” but “resembles an extended campaign speech” at times.

In 2013, Lewis became the first member of Congress to write a graphic novel. He launched a trilogy titled March, which is a series of three black and white comic books about the Civil Rights Movement, told from the perspective of John Lewis. The first book, March: Book One, was written by Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated and lettered by Nate Powell, and published in August 2013. The second book, March: Book Two, was published in January 2015, and the third book, March: Book Three, was published in August 2016.

In an August 2014 interview, Lewis said a 1958 comic book, Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, influenced his decision to write March. March: Book One became a number one New York Times bestseller for graphic novels and remained on the lists for over a year. It received an “Author Honor” from the American Library Association’s 2014 Coretta Scott King Book Awards, which recognize African American authors of children’s books. It was also the first graphic novel to win a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, receiving a “Special Recognition” bust in 2014.

March: Book One was selected for first-year reading programs at Michigan State University, Georgia State University, and Marquette University in 2014. March: Book Two became a New York Times and Washington Post bestseller for graphic novels when it was released in 2015. The release of March: Book Three in August 2016 caused all three books to reach the top three spots on the New York Times bestseller list for graphic novels for six consecutive weeks. March: Book Three won the 2017 Printz Award for excellence in young-adult literature, the Coretta Scott King Award, the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, the 2016 National Book Award in Young People’s Literature, and the Sibert Medal at the American Library Association’s annual Midwinter Meeting in January 2017. The March trilogy also received the Carter G. Woodson Book Award in the Secondary (grades 7–12) category in 2017.

In 2018, Lewis and Andrew Aydin co-wrote a sequel to the March series called Run, which documents Lewis’s life after the Civil Rights Act was passed. The book was illustrated by Afua Richardson and was originally scheduled to be released in August 2018 but was delayed. It was finally published on August 3, 2021, a year after Lewis’s death, as it was one of his final projects. Nate Powell, who illustrated March, also contributed to the artwork in Run.

Personal life

Lewis met his future wife, Lillian Miles, at a New Year's Eve party hosted by Xernona Clayton. At the time, Lillian worked for the library of Atlanta University. The two married one year later in 1968. In 1976, they had a son who also works in politics. Lillian died on December 31, 2012, the 45th anniversary of their marriage.

He has a grandson who lives in Paris.

On December 29, 2019, Lewis announced he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. He stayed in the Washington D.C. area for treatment. Lewis said, "I have been in some kind of fight – for freedom, equality, basic human rights – for nearly my entire life. I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now."

On June 7, 2020, the day after finishing a round of chemotherapy, Lewis made his last public appearance. He visited a large Black Lives Matter mural on Sixteenth Street in Washington, D.C. Days earlier, protesters at that location had been tear-gassed by U.S. Park Police and Secret Service, following orders from President Donald Trump.

On July 17, 2020, Lewis died in Atlanta at the age of 80. This was the same day and city as his friend and civil rights activist C.T. Vivian. Lewis was the final surviving member of the "Big Six" civil rights leaders.

Then-president Donald Trump ordered all U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff in response to Lewis's death. Leaders from other countries, including Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Irish President Michael D. Higgins, also expressed their condolences.

Public ceremonies honoring Lewis began in his hometown of Troy, Alabama, at Troy University, which had refused to admit him in 1957 because of racial segregation. His casket was then taken to the historic Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma, Alabama. After his death, calls grew to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma in his honor. On July 26, 2020, his casket was carried on a horse-drawn caisson over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, retracing the path he walked during the Bloody Sunday march from Selma to Montgomery. His casket was then placed on display at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that Lewis would lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on July 27 and 28, with a public viewing and procession through Washington, D.C. He was the first African-American lawmaker to be honored in the Rotunda. Due to health concerns from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, his casket was displayed outdoors on the East Front steps of the Capitol instead of inside the Rotunda. On July 29, 2020, Lewis's casket was transported back to Atlanta, Georgia, where it was placed on display at the Georgia State Capitol.

At his final funeral service at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama spoke. Former President Jimmy Carter, unable to travel due to his age, sent a message to be read during the service. President Donald Trump did not attend the funeral. Lewis was buried at Atlanta's historic South-View Cemetery.

On the day of his funeral, Lewis wrote an op-ed published in The New York Times. In it, he encouraged the younger generation to continue the work for justice and to end hate.

Honors

In 1997, a sculpture called The Bridge by Thornton Dial was placed on Ponce de Leon Avenue and Freedom Park in Atlanta. The artist dedicated the sculpture to Lewis. In 1999, Lewis received the Wallenberg Medal from the University of Michigan for his lifelong work to protect civil and human rights. That same year, he was also given the Four Freedoms Award for the Freedom of Speech.

In 2001, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation honored Lewis with a special Profile in Courage Award for Lifetime Achievement. This award has only been given twice: to Lewis and to William Winter in 2008. The next year, Lewis was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP.

In 2004, Lewis received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement, presented by James Earl Jones. In 2006, he was given the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official. In 2007, Lewis received the Dole Leadership Prize from the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas.

Lewis was the only living speaker from the March on Washington present during the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Obama signed a photo for Lewis with the words, "Because of you, John. Barack Obama."

In 2010, Lewis was awarded the first LBJ Liberty and Justice for All Award by the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation. In 2011, President Barack Obama gave Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In 2016, a future U.S. Navy ship was named USNS John Lewis. That year, Lewis and Frederick Reese received Congressional Gold Medals for their role in the Selma march. He also received the Liberty Medal at the National Constitution Center. The award was given during the 150th anniversary of the 14th Amendment. In 2020, Lewis was honored with the Walter P. Reuther Humanitarian Award by Wayne State University, the UAW, and the Reuther family.

Lewis spoke at many schools, including the School of Visual Arts in 2014, Bates College in 2015, Washington University in 2016, Bard College and Bank Street College in 2017, and Harvard University in 2018. He was also recognized with the 2017 Inkpot Award for his work with comics.

In 2018, Atlanta’s Freedom Parkway was renamed John Lewis Freedom Parkway. In 2020, Nashville’s 5th Avenue was renamed John Lewis Way. Also in 2020, Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia, was renamed John R. Lewis High School. A program called John Lewis Now was created to teach students about leadership and government using Washington, D.C.

After Lewis died in July 2020, plans were made to rename the Pettus Bridge in his honor. The building at Troy University was renamed the John Lewis Building. A statue of Lewis was unveiled in Atlanta in 2021. President Joe Biden honored Lewis on Twitter in 2021, saying, "May we carry on his mission in the fight for justice and equality for all."

In 2021, Seattle opened the John Lewis Memorial Bridge, and the University of California, Santa Cruz renamed one of its colleges John R. Lewis College. In 2024, a statue of Lewis by Basil Watson was placed in Decatur, Georgia, where a Confederate monument was removed in 2020.

Lewis received more than 50 honorary degrees, including:
• 1989: Honorary Doctor of Laws from Troy State University (now Troy University)
• 1995: Honorary Doctor of Public Service from Northeastern University
• 1998: Honorary Humane Letters from Brandeis University
• 1999: Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Massachusetts Boston and Knox College
• 2001: Honorary Doctor of Laws from University at Albany
• 2002: Honorary D.H.L. from Howard University
• 2003: Honorary Doctor of Laws from the College of Wooster
• 2004: Honorary degree from Portland State University and Juniata College
• 2007: Honorary LL.D. from the University of Vermont and Adelphi University
• 2012: Honorary LL.D. from Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and the University of Connecticut School of Law
• 2013: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Judson College, Cleveland State University, and Union College
• 2014: Honorary LL.D. from Emory University, Doctor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts, Bachelor of Arts from Lawrence University, and Doctor of Letters from Marquette University
• 2015: Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, Lawrence University, and Goucher College; Honorary Doctor of Laws from Hampton University
• 2016: Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from New York University, Bates College, Washington University in St. Louis, and the Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School; Honorary Doctor of Laws from Washington and Jefferson College
• 2017: Honorary LL.D. from Yale University, Berea College, and Bank Street Graduate School of Education
• 2018: Honorary Doctor of Law from Boston University
• 2019: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from City College of New York and Tulane University.

In popular culture

In the 2014 film Selma, Lewis was played by Stephan James. He made a short appearance in the music video for Young Jeezy's song "My President," which was released during the month of President Obama's inauguration. In 2017, John Lewis spoke for himself in the Arthur episode "Arthur Takes a Stand." Lewis's life was shown in detail in the 2017 PBS documentary John Lewis: Get in the Way and the 2020 CNN Films documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble.

Lewis appeared in the 2019 documentary Bobby Kennedy for President, where he praised Robert F. Kennedy for his support of civil rights during his time as a senator for New York and during Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign. Lewis also shared his sadness about the 1968 assassinations of Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.

Lewis appeared with Amandla Stenberg to present Green Book as a nominee for Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards, which took place on February 24, 2019.

Lewis attended comic book conventions to promote his graphic novel, including San Diego Comic-Con in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017. At the 2015 convention, Lewis led a sudden, planned march with children, wearing the same clothes he wore during the Selma civil rights march on Bloody Sunday. Thousands of people joined the event, which was repeated in 2016 and 2017.