Research Guides: John Lewis: Biography

John Lewis (February 21, 1940 - July 17, 2020)

When Lewis was age 15, he learned of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott led by King, Ralph David Abernathy, and other members of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). The MIA led the vast majority of the African-Americans in the city in their decision to refuse to ride the segregated city buses unless they were treated more fairly by white drivers and passengers. It filled Lewis with pride to see the African American community of Montgomery acting in concert and with determination. After a year-long struggle, the bus company agreed to their demands. Continue . . .

Source: "Lewis, John Robert." Gale Encyclopedia of American Law, edited by Donna Batten, 3rd ed., vol. 6, Gale, 2011, pp. 326-329. From Gale eBooks database.

Resources

Civil Rights Leader John Lewis Never Gave Up Or Gave In Civil rights icon and longtime Georgia Congressman John Lewis has died after a battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old. The son of Alabama sharecroppers, Lewis was a central figure in the key civil rights battles of the 1960s, including the Freedom Rides and the Selma to Montgomery voting rights march.
Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient - Congressman John Lewis Since 1987, John Lewis has represented Georgia's 5th congressional district, which encompasses most of Atlanta. From age 18 when he met Martin Luther King, Jr., Lewis played a crucial role in the Civil Rights Movement. He was the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee(SNCC) and was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington. From organizing the first lunch-counter sit-in, participating in the Freedom Rides to the legendary Marches on Washington and from Selma, AL to Montgomery, AL Lewis braved police brutality and physical violence in the name of civil rights. Here, Congressman Lewis reflects upon his work and what receiving this medal signifies to him.
Congressman John Lewis John Lewis was born to a family of sharecroppers outside of Troy, Alabama, at a time when African Americans in the South were subjected to a humiliating segregation in education and all public facilities, and were effectively prevented from voting by systematic discrimination and intimidation.
Remembering the life and legacy of John Lewis Rep. John Lewis, a Civil Rights hero, died of pancreatic cancer Friday night. A supporter of civic engagement, including the ongoing global Black Lives Matter protests, Lewis had been beaten and arrested several times during the Civil Rights Movement. Known for powerful speeches, he advocated for getting into “good trouble” all his life. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
Passing the Baton of Justice Revisit some of the powerful moments Rep. John Lewis shared with President Obama during his presidency and afterwards as part of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.
'What A Gift John Lewis Was': Obama Eulogizes His Friend And Hero Former President Barack Obama gives the eulogy at the funeral service for Rep. John Lewis at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Lewis, a civil rights icon and fierce advocate of voting rights for African Americans, died on July 17 at the age of 80.
John Lewis (February 21, 1940 - July 17, 2020) There was perhaps no single figure whose own life and career embodied the promise, success, and continued challenges of civil rights for Black Americans than John Lewis. Born in 1940 in Alabama, Lewis was at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

From Films On Demand database:

Interview with John Lewis Fifty years ago, 23-year-old John Lewis raised his voice to a crowd of more than 200,000 people at a protest march that would come to represent "the best of America." PBS NewsHour correspondent Gwen Ifill talks to the congressman about what motivated him to become a young civil rights leader and the current state of civil rights and equality in America. Original broadcast date: August 27, 2013
Minds that Matter: John Lewis No one grasps the connections between social activism, electoral politics, and racial issues better than Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), perhaps the most prominent living veteran of the American civil rights movement. In 2007, he received the Robert J. Dole Leadership Prize from the University of Kansas and, in conjunction with the award, granted this in-depth interview before a live audience. Rep. Lewis discusses an epic range of topics, including his childhood in segregated Alabama; his first meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; the backstage dilemma over his speech at the finale of the March on Washington; his role in the attempted march from Selma to Montgomery; the ongoing need for social activism today; and more. (58 minutes)
John Lewis Marches On In this edition of Moyers & Company, two icons of the ’60s civil rights era—John Lewis and Bill Moyers—meet to share experiences and revelations related to the momentous March on Washington, which they both attended 50 years ago. Their discussion takes them to the spot in front of the Lincoln Memorial where Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., Bayard Rustin, Roy Wilkins, and others famously spoke about freedom and justice, creating critical momentum for both the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. Representative Lewis (now a 14-term congressman) shares new insight into how the event unfolded, while Bill (who at the time was deputy director of the newly created Peace Corps) shares his own memories of the day. He concludes with an essay about how the pursuit of equal rights and opportunities for all Americans—so championed at the March on Washington—continues to be thwarted. Broadcast date: July 26, 2013. (57 minutes)
Rep. John Lewis Rep. John Lewis addresses the 2012 Democratic National convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.