Getting In 'Good Trouble:' American Civil Rights Leader John Lewis Remembered
2020-07-21
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1America lost an extraordinary leader Friday when Congressman John Lewis died of pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old.
2The lawmaker representing Georgia fought for civil rights for most of his life.
3He was the last living member of the so-called "Big Six" activists, a group that included Martin Luther King, Jr.
4A son of Alabama sharecroppers, his place in the leadership of the 1960s campaign for Black equality had its roots in that difficult life on the farm.
5Lewis was the youngest member of the Big Six.
6He helped organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
7He spoke to the huge gathering in the nation's capital shortly before King gave his famed "I Have a Dream" speech.
8King's speech marked a turning point in the civil rights struggle.
9But the struggle was still far from over.
10Two years later, police beat Lewis bloody and broke his skull as he led hundreds of marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.
11The violence came to be called Bloody Sunday.
12Television images of the violence helped unite national opposition to racial oppression.
13Leaders in Washington felt the pressure.
14The 1965 Voting Rights Act passed five months later.
15The law barred racial discrimination in voting, acts of which were widespread across the South.
16Lewis returned to that bridge many times following his election in 1986 to the U. S. House of Representatives.
17He often took along lawmakers from both major political parties so they could see where the attack took place.
18Lewis earned respect in Washington from Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
19Many called him the "conscience of Congress."
20And, he was a guiding voice for a young Illinois senator who became the first Black president.
21"I told him that I stood on his shoulders," former President Barack Obama wrote in a statement marking Lewis's death.
22He added, "I told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made."
23Lewis was 23 years old when he joined King to plan the March on Washington.
24He gave a fierce speech at the event to hundreds of thousands of demonstrators.
25But it was not as fierce speech he had planned to give.
26Lewis agreed to make several changes to soften the speech under pressure from President John F. Kennedy's administration and others.
27But he still spoke strongly and without compromise for social revolution.
28In early 1965, Lewis led hundreds of demonstrators in a march in his home state of Alabama.
29They planned to walk 80 kilometers from Selma to the capital, Montgomery.
30They did not get far.
31Police blocked them on a Selma bridge.
32The police used clubs to beat protesters, fired tear gas at them and rode into the crowd on horseback.
33Many marchers were sent to hospitals.
34The nation was horrified.
35"The sight of them rolling over us like human tanks was something that had never been seen before," Lewis later wrote.
36"People just couldn't believe this was happening, not in America."
37Lewis was born on February 21, 1940, near the small Alabama town of Troy.
38He attended segregated public schools.
39He was a teenager when he first heard Martin Luther King, Jr., speak on the radio as a young clergyman.
40They met after Lewis wrote him seeking support to become the first Black student at his local college.
41Lewis went on to go to college in Nashville, Tennessee, instead.
42Soon, the young man King called "the boy from Troy" was organizing sit-ins at whites-only restaurants and volunteering as a Freedom Rider.
43Lewis suffered many police beatings and arrests in the fight against segregation around the South.
44Lewis helped form the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC.
45He led the powerful group from 1963 to 1966 and continued civil rights work and voter registration campaigns for many years.
46In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Lewis to lead ACTION, a federal volunteer agency.
47Lewis refused to attend Donald Trump's presidential inauguration in 2017.
48He argued that Russian interference in the election process made it unlawful.
49Lewis also did not attend presidential events that followed, including the yearly State of the Union speeches presented before Congress.
50Trump was criticized for his lack of public comment after Lewis's death.
51Fourteen hours after the news broke, Trump wrote on Twitter: "Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing. Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family."
52Trump also ordered all flags to be lowered at the White House and federal grounds and buildings on Saturday.
53Lewis announced in late 2019 that he had pancreatic cancer.
54"I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now," he said at the time.
55The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, spoke about Lewis Monday on an American news show.
56She said she had talked to him the day before she died.
57"It was a sad one," Pelosi said of their talk.
58"We never talked about his dying until that day."
59Lewis was known for getting into what he called the "good trouble" of activism.
60In June of 2018, he wrote on Twitter: "Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble."
61Earlier, this year he had a similar message of support for Black Lives Matter demonstrators around the world.
62"Justice has, indeed, been denied for far too long, he said. "Organize. Demonstrate. Sit-in. Stand up. Vote."
63I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Ashley Thompson.
1America lost an extraordinary leader Friday when Congressman John Lewis died of pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old. 2The lawmaker representing Georgia fought for civil rights for most of his life. He was the last living member of the so-called "Big Six" activists, a group that included Martin Luther King, Jr. 3A son of Alabama sharecroppers, his place in the leadership of the 1960s campaign for Black equality had its roots in that difficult life on the farm. 4Lewis was the youngest member of the Big Six. He helped organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He spoke to the huge gathering in the nation's capital shortly before King gave his famed "I Have a Dream" speech. 5King's speech marked a turning point in the civil rights struggle. But the struggle was still far from over. Two years later, police beat Lewis bloody and broke his skull as he led hundreds of marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. 6The violence came to be called Bloody Sunday. Television images of the violence helped unite national opposition to racial oppression. 7Leaders in Washington felt the pressure. The 1965 Voting Rights Act passed five months later. The law barred racial discrimination in voting, acts of which were widespread across the South. 8Lewis returned to that bridge many times following his election in 1986 to the U. S. House of Representatives. He often took along lawmakers from both major political parties so they could see where the attack took place. 9Lewis earned respect in Washington from Democratic and Republican lawmakers. Many called him the "conscience of Congress." 10And, he was a guiding voice for a young Illinois senator who became the first Black president. 11"I told him that I stood on his shoulders," former President Barack Obama wrote in a statement marking Lewis's death. He added, "I told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made." 12Lewis was 23 years old when he joined King to plan the March on Washington. He gave a fierce speech at the event to hundreds of thousands of demonstrators. 13But it was not as fierce speech he had planned to give. Lewis agreed to make several changes to soften the speech under pressure from President John F. Kennedy's administration and others. But he still spoke strongly and without compromise for social revolution. 14In early 1965, Lewis led hundreds of demonstrators in a march in his home state of Alabama. They planned to walk 80 kilometers from Selma to the capital, Montgomery. 15They did not get far. 16Police blocked them on a Selma bridge. The police used clubs to beat protesters, fired tear gas at them and rode into the crowd on horseback. Many marchers were sent to hospitals. The nation was horrified. 17"The sight of them rolling over us like human tanks was something that had never been seen before," Lewis later wrote. "People just couldn't believe this was happening, not in America." 18The 'boy from Troy' 19Lewis was born on February 21, 1940, near the small Alabama town of Troy. He attended segregated public schools. 20He was a teenager when he first heard Martin Luther King, Jr., speak on the radio as a young clergyman. They met after Lewis wrote him seeking support to become the first Black student at his local college. Lewis went on to go to college in Nashville, Tennessee, instead. 21Soon, the young man King called "the boy from Troy" was organizing sit-ins at whites-only restaurants and volunteering as a Freedom Rider. Lewis suffered many police beatings and arrests in the fight against segregation around the South. 22Lewis helped form the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC. He led the powerful group from 1963 to 1966 and continued civil rights work and voter registration campaigns for many years. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Lewis to lead ACTION, a federal volunteer agency. 23Lewis refused to attend Donald Trump's presidential inauguration in 2017. He argued that Russian interference in the election process made it unlawful. Lewis also did not attend presidential events that followed, including the yearly State of the Union speeches presented before Congress. 24Trump was criticized for his lack of public comment after Lewis's death. Fourteen hours after the news broke, Trump wrote on Twitter: "Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing. Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family." 25Trump also ordered all flags to be lowered at the White House and federal grounds and buildings on Saturday. 26Lewis announced in late 2019 that he had pancreatic cancer. "I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now," he said at the time. 27The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, spoke about Lewis Monday on an American news show. She said she had talked to him the day before she died. 28"It was a sad one," Pelosi said of their talk. "We never talked about his dying until that day." 29Lewis was known for getting into what he called the "good trouble" of activism. In June of 2018, he wrote on Twitter: "Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble." 30Earlier, this year he had a similar message of support for Black Lives Matter demonstrators around the world. 31"Justice has, indeed, been denied for far too long, he said. "Organize. Demonstrate. Sit-in. Stand up. Vote." 32I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Ashley Thompson. 33Caty Weaver wrote this story. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 34_____________________________________________ 35Words in This Story 36sharecropper -n. a farmer especially in the southern U.S. who raises crops for the owner of a piece of land and is paid a portion of the money from the sale of the crops 37conscience -n. the part of the mind that makes you aware of your actions as being either morally right or wrong 38segregated -adj. divided in facilities or administered separately for members of different groups or races 39despair -n. the feeling of no longer having any hope 40optimistic -adj.having or showing hope for the future: expecting good things to happen