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Born near Troy Alabama, son of black sharecroppers.
https://www.ajc.com/news/john-lewis-the-boy-from-troy/FPQXUXXHMZEUVCX3HORKOHCYHM/ -
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Lewis attended American Baptist College to study politics and religion. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2020/07/18/john-lewis-death-long-civil-rights-legacy-began-nashville/5464295002/ https://abcnash.edu/johnlewis/
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Lewis participated in these freedom rides alongside other civil rights activists to protest racial segregation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/18/us/politics/freedom-riders-john-lewis-work.html#:~:text=Representative%20John%20Lewis%20was%20among,challenging%20the%20nation's%20segregation%20laws.&text=Representative%20John%20Lewis%2C%20who%20died,and%20the%20civil%20rights%20movement. -
This role helped register African Americans to vote. Eight months later, he was arrested for more than 40 times for his civil rights activities in Selma, AL. https://snccdigital.org/people/john-lewis/
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sncc
https://www.history.com/news/john-lewis-civil-rights-arrests -
Lewis & MLKJR gave a keynote speechs at this march alongside MLK and other activists. MLK Jr. gave his "I Have A Dream Speech" at this demonstration. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/march-washington-jobs-and-freedom#:~:text=On%2028%20August%201963%2C%20more,civil%20rights%20bill%20in%20Congress. https://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/lewis-speech-at-the-march-on-washington-speech-text/ https://www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety
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As Lewis lead a voting right march of 600, he was beaten by a AL state trooper. The march continued into Montgomery, AL into a violent confrontation called Bloody Sunday. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bloody-sunday-civil-rights-protesters-beaten-selma https://www.history.com/news/selma-bloody-sunday-attack-civil-rights-movement https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/eyewitness/html.php?section=2
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Lewis participated with thousands of others in this march. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/issues/civil-rights/selma https://www.nps.gov/places/alabama-the-selmatomontgomery-march.htm
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John and Lillian met at a New Year's Eve party. They married in 1968 and then adopted a son, John-Miles Lewis, in 1976 https://www.ajc.com/news/local-obituaries/lillian-miles-lewis-wife-adviser-rep-john-lewis/xVff5GSZZAiolGRhhj765O/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-lewis-funeral-wife-lillian-miles-sweet-love-story-shared-by-xernona-clayton/
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Lewis takes this position as a part of the Southern Regional Council. https://glamportal.auctr.edu/exhibits/show/johnlewisblackempowerment/johnlewisblackempowermentvep
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ACTION is a federal volunteer agency that Lewis was appointed to be over. This happened after he ran for Congress in Metro Atlanta and lost. https://www.aclu.org/congressman-john-lewis
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Lewis served in this position until 1986 https://www.governing.com/now/john-lewiss-legacy-of-good-trouble.html
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Lewis was re-elected 16 times for this position https://achievement.org/achiever/congressman-john-r-lewis/
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Lewis won this award, a multitude of honors, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, all presented by President Barack Obama. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/18/rep-john-lewis-barack-obamas-medal-freedom-speech/5464160002/ https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/campaign/medal-of-freedom
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Lewis and four others were arrested in Washington for protesting the expulsion of aid workers amid humanitarian crisis'. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/04/five-lawmakers-arrested-in-darfur-protest/16723/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/28/congressmen-arrest-sudan-embassy-darfur -
Lewis joined Obama, George Bush, and thousands of others in Selma, AL to commemorate this horrific event. https://www.ajc.com/news/five-things-know-about-congressman-john-lewis/uzHfUBLepoRaRnwvjlmpkK/ https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/issues/civil-rights/selma
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/thousands-join-second-day-of-selma-remembrances/2015/03/08/60d6784c-c5da-11e4-a199-6cb5e63819d2_story.html -
Lewis lead a democratic sit-in on the House floor to protest the inaction surrounding gun control measures.
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Lewis dies at the age of 80. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/us/john-lewis-live-funeral.html https://www.ajc.com/news/who-will-speak-at-john-lewis-funeral/CIUUYQ4XPRDFXM3QRVHSRIDQSI/ https://www.ajc.com/john-lewis/john-lewis-last-words/GGQ6MKJTIBHGHJ7RQXZVLQFHUA/ https://www.npr.org/2020/07/30/895152469/john-lewis-towering-civil-rights-icon-to-be-memorialized-at-atlanta-funeral https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/31/politics/john-lewis-atlanta-funeral-service/index.html