Title: Late Congressman Lewis, Civil Rights Pioneer, Inspired Georgetown Community

Press release from Georgetown University:

July 23, 2020

U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia) spent his life fighting for racial justice and equality. As funeral arrangements for the civil rights icon and longtime Congress member solidify in Washington, DC, Atlanta and Troy, Alabama – his hometown, Georgetown community members recall his courage, wisdom and many visits to Georgetown.

“The extraordinary life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis inspires our shared reflection and renewed action, as we seek to uphold our deepest held values as a university, and as a nation,” says Georgetown President John J. DeGioia. “We are grateful for the moments that he shared with our Georgetown community over the years.”

Lewis, who died July 17 at the age of 80, became active in the civil rights movement at a young age – joining in marches with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., serving as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and organizing countless sit-ins, voter registration drives and Freedom Rides throughout the segregated South, where he endured brutal beatings at the hands of white supremacists.

“His compassion, his unwavering pursuit of justice and equality and the moral imagination that characterized his remarkable life and career in public service continue to invite us and challenge us to respond to the injustices of our time,” DeGioia adds.

Extraordinary Inspiration

Maria Cancian, dean of the university’s McCourt School of Public Policy, says Georgetown students can take away an important lesson from the life Lewis led.

“Congressman John Lewis stands as an extraordinary and inspirational example of an effective changemaker – working both inside and outside the system, demanding that we expect better of our country and ourselves,” she says.

In 2015, Lewis received an honorary degree from Georgetown and shared remarks with graduates and their families as the McCourt School’s commencement speaker.

“If we want to see a nation, a world at peace with itself, then we must live peaceful lives,” he said. “We don’t need to spend more money, more of our limited resources on bombs, missiles and guns.”

“Use our resources to help those that have been left out and left behind,” he added.“I tell you, in spite of all the difficulties, I’m still hopeful, still optimistic. You must be hopeful. You must be optimistic.”

This press release was produced by Georgetown University.The views expressed here are the author’s own.