For
more than 50 years, John Lewis, one of the most important leaders
of the Civil Rights Movement, has been at the forefront of the
struggle for human rights and progressive social change in America.
Since 1987 he has served in the US House of Representatives as
a leading voice for liberal policies as well as a beacon of integrity,
earning him respect as ""the conscience of the U.S. Congress."
John Lewis first gained national recognition in 1963 as chair
of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, where he played
an important role in helping to end segregation in America. He
was an organizer and a keynote speaker at the famous March on
Washington in August 1963 where Dr. Martin Luther King delivered
his "I have a dream speech" and in 1965 John Lewis led the historic
march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama that brought
the civil rights movement to the center of national attention
when the peaceful marchers were brutally attacked on live television.
This attention to the serious problems in the segregated South
helped ensure the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Every
year, John Lewis leads a large group, including colleagues in
Congress, to retrace the steps of this historic march. His tireless
dedication to working for a better world is guided by his vision
of "The Beloved Community" shared by Dr. Martin Luther King -
an achievable goal of working together to build a more peaceful,
just and sustainable nation and global community.
