America lost a giant of the civil rights movement with the passing of John Lewis this past week. Lewis, who also served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his passing, became nationally known during his prominent role in the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches. On March 7, 1965 – a day that would become known as "Bloody Sunday" – Lewis and fellow activist Hosea Williams led over 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. At the end of the bridge, they were met by Alabama State Troopers who ordered them to disperse. When the marchers stopped to pray, the police discharged tear gas and mounted troopers charged the demonstrators, beating them with night sticks. Lewis's skull was fractured, but he managed to get across the bridge to Brown Chapel, a church in Selma, and survived. Lewis bore scars on his head from the incident for the rest of his life. On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, a major victory for the civil rights movement, into law with Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, John Lewis, and other civil rights leaders in attendance at the signing ceremony.
Register. Vote. There is no greater way to honor all those who have struggled for this fundamental right. Visit FVAP.gov for more details.
