Who was John Lewis? The civil rights icon inspires 'Good Trouble' protests
The protests, "Good Trouble Lives On," are expected to take place in dozens of cities and towns on July 17, five years to the day since Lewis' death in 2020. The late congressman, who led some of the most seminal demonstrations during the Civil Rights movement, popularized the phrase "good trouble," referring to the kind of nonviolent action and civil disobedience he became known for early in his career.
The late 17-term congressman was often called the 'moral compass'' of the U.S. House of Representatives, but he made a name for himself long before he became a lawmaker, as one of the youngest leaders in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Lewis' biography as a civil rights activist and lawmaker is a long one, involving some of the most significant U.S. political events and figures of the mid-20th century. Here's a brief overview of his past, as planned protests invoke his legacy on July 17.
'Good Trouble' protest locations: See where demonstrations are planned
Where was John Lewis born?
Lewis is the son of Alabama sharecroppers, born in Troy, Pike County, Alabama on February 21, 1940.
Lewis began preaching in local churches when he was 15 years old, according to a biography from Stanford's Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. He then enrolled in the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville after high school.
Lewis first met Martin Luther King Jr. in 1958, when he traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, to seek King's help in suing to transfer to Troy State University, an all-white institution closer to his home, according to the institute. Though he ended up not pursuing the litigation, the experience connected Lewis with King and other Black Civil Rights leaders and gave him his nickname, 'the boy from Troy."
Inspired to 'get in good trouble again:' Black lawmakers salute the legacy of John Lewis
What did John Lewis do during the Civil Rights movement?
As a leader in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Lewis challenged Jim Crow segregation across the South, participating in and leading many nonviolent protests.
"Lewis became heavily involved in the Nashville movement and participated in a series of student sit-ins in early 1960 that aimed to integrate movie theaters, restaurants, and other businesses," the MLK Research and Education Institute said, "In April 1960, he helped form SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and later participated in the Freedom Rides of 1961."
During this time, he rose to prominence within the movement, as chronicled by the National Archives and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Archives. He was among a group who met with Kennedy in 1963 ahead of the historic March on Washington, and addressed the many thousands who descended upon the National Mall that day before King took the stage to deliver his 'I Have a Dream Speech.'
John Lewis' involvement in 'Bloody Sunday' in Selma, Alabama
Among all demonstrations and actions, he is perhaps most known for his involvement in what would be called "Bloody Sunday."
Lewis helped lead hundreds of peaceful protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965 in support of equal voting rights for Black Americans. The protesters, including a then-25-year-old Lewis, where beaten back brutally by state troopers. Lewis suffered a fractured skull, and many others were injured by deployed gas, clubs, whips, and other weapons wielded by police.
The brutal attack galvanized public support for the movement and is seen as a pivotal precursor to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Until his health failed, Lewis had led an annual bipartisan congressional pilgrimage to Selma to mark that anniversary. He stopped by the pilgrimage months before his death.
What was John Lewis' political legacy as a Democratic congressman from Georgia?
In 1987, Lewis was elected to represent Georgia's 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, often taking the lead on debates and legislation connected to civil rights and social justice, becoming known as the "conscience of the Congress," according to the National Archives.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she learned a lot from Lewis during their 30 years serving together in Congress. Pelosi said ''he taught us through words and action what true moral leadership looked like,' while members of the Congressional Black Caucus told USA TODAY that Lewis inspired them to continue the push for civil rights.
Lewis was an ally to Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and was an outspoken critic of the invasion and subsequent years-long war in Iraq. He also became a leading voice against gun violence and advocated for gun control legislation prominently following the shooting of former Rep. Gabby Giffords.
"We have been too quiet for too long,'' Lewis said during a 2016 sit-in in the House chambers over gun control legislation. 'There comes a time when you have to say something, when you have to make a little noise, when you have to move your feet. This is the time.'
Contributing: Deborah Barfield Berry and Susan Page, USA TODAY.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.
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