Last Friday, August 28, was the 63rd anniversay of the now iconic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It is best remembered for the final speaker of the day Martin Luther King, Jr. who gave his famous “I Have a Dream Speech.” Yet there were other speakers on the platform that day in front of the Lincoln Memorial. A copy of the program listing the speakers is posted below. The youngest was 23 year old John Lewis who was the National Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Although much less famous than Dr. King’s speech, John Lewis gave an impassioned plea for our nation to wake up to the nonviolent revolution for racial and economic justice that was underway. One of his fervent pleas focused on the right of Black people to vote. Although guarenteed in the Constitution by the 15th and 20th ammendments, that right was being brutally and systematically supressed throughout the South. So John Lewis proclaimed, “‘ONE MAN, ONE VOTE’…must be our [cry].” He went on to issue a calling that is not limited to 1963 but is especially significant as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of our nation, “I appeal to all of you to get in this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village, every hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes, until the revolution of 1776 is complete.” (A video of the entire speech is posted below.)
This urgent appeal by the young John Lewis resonates today as the Trump administration acts to suppress voter participation, roll back many of the gains of the Civil Rights Movement, and inflict terror on our immigrant neighbors of color.
John Lewis was one of the greatest embodiments of faith based nonviolent direct action for justice grounded in the love of God in Jesus Christ. He paid the price by putting his body on the line throughout the Civil Rights Movement in the Freedom Rides, in Nashville, in Birmingham, in Selma, and in many other nonviolent campaigns. He went on to serve as a Congressman from Georgia where he continued the struggle for racial and economic justice until his death in 2020. As a final act of love and justice, John Lewis wrote a piece that he wanted released after his death. It was titled, “Together You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation.” A video of this inspiring piece is posted below as read by John Lewis’ friend Morgan Freeman. Please take the time to read and reflect on the final words of a man who showed our nation how to love others by standing up for justice. We need to follow that example now more than ever.
