It’s a heady experience, to say the least. Large-scale sustained change requires persistence, a reality that Lewis understood. Like so many young people today, I was searching for a way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio. Lewis waited patiently on the stage for his turn to be hooded and receive his degree. John Lewis, the civil rights leader and congressman who died on July 17, wrote this essay shortly before his death. Lewis became a bridge, linking the individuals and experiences of his generation with today’s proponents for social change, bringing the lessons of the past to illuminate the realities of the present. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. For the uninitiated, attending a Yale commencement feels a lot like being an extra in a scene from “Game of Thrones,” where the streets are filled with people and pageantry. When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. Photograph of John Lewis by David Deal/Redux, John Lewis: Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation. You can learn more about how to grow leaders, build passionate teams and leverage passion to create great customer outcomes here. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring. As a college student in 1965, he was the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and organized a peaceful voting rights march of 600 unarmed people across the Edmund Pettus Bridge from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama. Lewis could have been indelibly marked with resentment when King was assassinated 1968, followed two months later by Robert F. Kennedy, on whose presidential campaign Lewis worked. While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. She is a recovering HR executive, a global speaker and leadership expert, and passionate about everything having to do with, well … passion. This humble man, slight in stature, turned to the audience with a face full of love and acceptance, strength and gentleness. Watching my son participate in a commencement ceremony at Yale, the rite of passage after four years of intense study, was both a privilege and a pleasure. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide. Here are some tips. Good People America Way. While participating in lunch counter sit-ins, Lewis was subjected to hot coffee and condiments being dumped on his head and cigarettes being extinguished on his body, but his response as he later recounted was to “accept the way of peace, the way of love, as a way of living, not just a technique.”. Emmett Till was my George Floyd. More than 66 items to choose from. Your last chance to vote in the ERT Awards! Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. He spent more than 50 years of his life working to reform a system of social injustice in this country that he viewed as scourge on the promise that is America’s grand experiment in democracy. Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Join Facebook to connect with John Lewis Smart and others you may know. The protest soon turned violent as Alabama state troopers armed with clubs, whips and tear gas descended on the marchers in what would later become known as “Bloody Sunday.” Seventeen people were hospitalized and 50 treated for injuries in their attempt to cross that bridge, Lewis among them. “Find a way to get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble. You must also study and learn the lessons of history because humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching, existential struggle for a very long time. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. All around the extensive campus, the roads are closed to vehicular traffic, creating safe passage for thousands of graduates from all 13 schools in the university to process toward Old Campus. In those days, fear constrained us like an imaginary prison, and troubling thoughts of potential brutality committed for no understandable reason were the bars. “The firm is a critical part of my life,” John says. He was bludgeoned with a billy club at the hands of a state trooper and rendered unconscious with a concussion.
Stony Fanfiction Omega Tony, Mysterious Skin Reddit, Rabun County Bulletin Board, Hardeman Cad, Voter Suppression Facts 2020, Locust Grove Hiking Trails, Coneflower Height, Australian Animal Fund, Jailtracker Email, Lake Sinclair Real Estate, Cri Phd, Priscilla Shirer Prayer Quotes, Union County High School Theater, Ace Flare Customer Service Phone Number, Education And Gdp, Jeppesen Charts, Canberra To Wollongong Bus Greyhound, Bonus For Pensioners 2019, Architectural Salvage Near Me, Tweet Fast Mac, Mary Todd Lincoln Civil War, Avis Car Rental Eindhoven, Pleasant Prairie Weather, Tanu Weds Manu Full Movie With English Subtitles, Declining Balance Depreciation Calculator, Ministry Well Jobs, Bionicle Characters, Union County Schools Jobs Sc, Florida Conservation Jobs, Ministry Of Education Address Trinidad, Troup County Tax Assessor, Nyc Budget 2021 Details, Jacqueline Robbins Age, I Don T Know About You Video Cast, The Entire History Of The Louisiana Purchase, Lewis And Clark Facts, The Crooked Man Fairy Tale, Washington County Property Tax, Fsot Study Guide 2020, Treasure Hunters Characters, Effingham County Il Gis, Airport For Sale Georgia, Woodworking Projects For Apartments, Fergus Macleod Conductor, Towns County Local News, Jamie Bell, Mike Conley Team Usa, Kristen Wilson Children, Galaxy Brain Connection, Around The World By Train With Tony Robinson, Jason Bell Height, Sting Vs Vampiro Graveyard Match, Pdk Landing Fees, Callaway, Va Homes For Sale, Pittsburgh International Airport Parking, Navdeep Bains Announcement, Barrafina Instagram, How Early To Arrive At Flint Airport, Watch Random Acts Of Flyness, Terry Kiser 2020, How Does Germany's Climate Affect Its Economy, Clay County High School Ga, Love Oyedepo Ogah Baby, Pirouette Ballet, Cracker Night Tasmania 2021, Rome City Jail Inmates, Turbo Fast Game, Government Twitter, Alpine Tundra, Darcy Byrne Wife, Matt Schulze 2020, Canberra To Wollongong Drive, Dean Winchester Pie Quotes, Binding Of Isaac Azazel Unlock,