At the Edmund Pettis Bridge – Selma, AL March 7, 1965
Mayor Bowser and John Lewis – Washington, DC June 2020
16th Street in Washington, DC – June 2020
Rep. John Lewis is the living legacy of the modern civil rights movement. He was a close friend and associate of Martin Luther King, Jr. and participated in many of the major campaigns of that movement including lunch counter sit-ins, freedom rides, the Birmingham campaign, and the Selma campaign. His commitment to faith based non-violent direct action as a follower of Jesus resulted in numerous arrests and beatings including the infamous police brutality at the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, AL in March 1965. The first picture above was taken just before that horrible state sponsored violence. I had the great privilege of meeting John Lewis and asked him to sign that picture. As he always does, John Lewis did not just sign his name but also included the phrase “Get In the Way.” His very autograph encourages us to stand up for racial justice and to non-violently get in the way of the forces of injustice. Fifty five years after the Selma campaign, John Lewis stood with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on 16th St. in our nation’s capital where peaceful demonstrators recently protested for racial justice and were met with state sponsored violence by mounted police, tear gas, and concussion grenades.
Even in the face of so much ongoing racism and suffering, John Lewis also calls us to stay hopeful. He reminds us that we have made progress through hard won legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as a significant increase in political leadership by people of color at the local, state, and national levels. However, he also reminds us that we still have a long way to go as evidenced by ongoing acts of racial violence and structural racism in policing, education, health care, and housing. John Lewis continues the struggle for justice even as he struggles with advanced pancreatic cancer. So as we give thanks to God for the life and witness of John Lewis, may we follow his example of faith and commitment to non-violent action for justice in ways big and small wherever we are. Get In the Way.