Gone but not forgotten
REMEMBERING THE REV. C.T. VIVIAN, REP. JOHN LEWIS
These last few days have weighed heavy on my mind.
This has been quite a time with the loss of two civil rights icons, John Lewis and Reverend C.T. Vivian.
I had the opportunity and privilege of meeting both gentlemen on several occasions. I have often said, “John Lewis was beaten down on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but he stood up consistently during his lifetime for justice, equality and civil rights.”
The last time I spoke with John Lewis was five years ago at a Congressional Black Caucus event in Washington, D.C. At that time he imparted to me very eloquently, as only John could do: “The struggle for equality and justice continues to this day and we should never become complacent and take our eyes off the prize.”
Every time I met with Reverend C.T. Vivian, he always greeted me with a warm smile and conveyed a sincere sense of caring.
With their passing, including Rev. Joseph Lowery in March, Andrew Young and Diane Nash, are the last of the civil rights old guard remaining.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former Tennessean reporter, David Halberstam, wrote “The Children.” The book is about the early days of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, as seen through the eyes of young people like John Lewis and Diane Nash.
“The Children” brings home the historical importance of the sacrifices and dangerous situations they put themselves in for the cause of justice and equality for all, not only during that time, period, but also for future generations.
John Lewis and Reverend C.T. Vivian are gone but they will never be forgotten.
Spencer Wiggins is a community relations consultant, Tennessee Rule 31 general civil mediator and former chairman of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission.