Activists vow to continue Lewis’ work
Some who never met civil rights icon inspired to follow in his footsteps
ATLANTA – As the nation mourns the loss of Rep. John R. Lewis – one of the icons of the civil rights movement – the younger generations he helped groom and inspire pledge to carry out his legacy.
Civil rights leaders, young and old, praised Lewis Saturday for his unwavering fight for social justice but acknowledged his work – and theirs – is far from finished.
“This death for me puts so much pressure on us,” said Philomena Wankenge, 22, a founder of Freedom Fighters DC in Washington. “(Lewis) did as much as he could do. He set the battleground, now it’s time for us to continue the war.”
Wankenge and other young activists, some who never met Lewis, said his life’s work inspired them to follow in his footsteps. Seasoned civil rights veterans who worked alongside Lewis said it’s their responsibility to continue his fight for voting rights, particularly in upcoming elections.
Lewis’ death comes as people have taken to the streets to protest the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in May in the custody of Minneapolis police officers.
Protests have taken place in more than 1,700 communities across the country, decrying police brutality against Black people and systemic racism. Activists are also fighting for better-quality health care and easier access to polls.
The protests have drawn parallels to the civil rights movement of the 1960s that Lewis helped organize.
A legacy of ‘fighting’
Activists also mourned the deaths of civil rights legends C.T. Vivian, who died Friday, the same day as Lewis, and Joseph Lowery, who died in March.
“I’m heartbroken,” said Melanie Campbell, president of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, which, helps register people to vote.
Campbell said veterans of the civil rights movement, many of whom are in their 80s and 90s, set the bar high for activists.
Lewis was active until his health failed. He announced he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer in December.
“When you think you’re tired, you look at some of them, and you go, ‘OK, I’m not tired,’ ” Campbell said. “It’s something about those that came out of that era. It keeps you going.
“You never stop fighting. And none of them did – until they couldn’t,” she said.
Lewis was the last surviving member of the “Big Six” civil rights leaders who organized and spoke at the March on Washington for civil and economic rights of Black people. The group included Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., James Farmer, A. Phillip Randolph, Roy Wilkins and Whitney Young.
Lewis spent most of his life advocating for equality, particularly voting rights for Black people, including as a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and a young organizer for the March on Washington in 1963. He later served as an Atlanta city councilman and a Democratic member of Congress representing Georgia. He was instrumental in helping get the 1965 Voting Rights Act passed.
Lewis continued to be a champion for voting rights while serving in Congress. He spoke out against voter suppression and voter purges in Georgia.
LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, said Lewis paved the way for her work on voting rights.
Brown first met Lewis during a training program for young activists at the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma, Alabama, in 1995. Lewis was a guest speaker, and Brown was training activists.
Lewis, she said, had a humble spirit and often talked about the power of love and forgiveness.
“He believed that if there were enough people who did good work ... that we could really transform the world,” Brown said.
Brown, who has worked across the South, including in Georgia, said she is lobbying for the restoration of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting. Brown said she wants the law to mandate more federal oversight over elections and sameday voter registration.
“I’m hoping in this moment that in the celebration of his life that we don’t minimize the fact that the work is still unfinished,” she said. “Until every single citizen has free and fair access to the ballot, democracy has not been achieved.”
Brown’s group led get-out-the-vote efforts in 2017, helping Doug Jones become the first Democrat in 25 years to win a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama. He was favored by 98% of Black women voters. Lewis campaigned for Jones.
Lewis’ ‘disciples’
Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell, the first Black congresswoman from Alabama, calls herself a “disciple” of Lewis and said he was a mentor.
“There’s a lot of work to be done. But the good news is John gave us a road map,” she said. “He may not get there with us, but we are better because of his vision, because of his leadership and because he led by example.”