Congressman. Civil Rights Icon.
Relive his life’s work with this list of digital content.
Congressman and Civil Rights Icon, John Lewis, dies at 80
Congressman John Lewis was the son of an Alabama sharecropper whose commanding presence, thunderous voice, and unwavering commitment helped propel the Civil Rights Movement. As a young man, he was there for sit-ins, Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, and Bloody Sunday, enduring vicious physical beatings and more than 40 arrests. As a Congressman from Georgia for more than three decades, he continued the fight for equality, justice, and freedom. John Lewis, the man known as “the conscious of the Congress” died on July 17 at the age of 80. Relive his life’s work with this list of digital content.
Featured
Great Conversations: Congressman John Lewis and Rachel Maddow
U.S. Congressman John Lewis is turning to the graphic novel format to discuss the Civil Rights Movement with March, a vivid first-hand account of his lifelong struggle for civil and human rights. Congressman Lewis is interviewed by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
Programs
- John Lewis: Get in the Way
Follow the journey of civil-rights hero, congressman and human rights champion, John Lewis. At the Selma March, Lewis came face-to-face with club-wielding troopers and exemplified non-violence. - Moyers & Company: Encore: John Lewis Marches On
Bill Moyers interviews John Lewis about his career and the March on Washington - The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross – Civil Rights Movement Leaders in Conversation
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in conversation with John Lewis, Julian Bond, and journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault. - PBS Books: Congressman John Lewis & Andrew Aydin Interview
John Lewis talks about his graphic novels exploring the Civil Rights Movement
Clips
- John Lewis’ speech at the March on Washington
The March on Washington was held in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963 to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. At the march, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech in which he called for an end to racism. John Lewis of SNCC also spoke at the event. His speech called out the Administration on how little it had done to protect African Americans and civil-rights workers under attack in the South. - PBS NewsHour: John Lewis remembers the March on Washington
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.” 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. - Eyes on the Prize: Then and Now: John Lewis
Student activist Jonathan Butler and Congressman John Lewis discuss the award-winning documentary series “Eyes on the Prize,” and the Civil Rights Movement then and now, including Congressman Lewis’s own experiences. He also offers advice to the activists of the movement today. From the WORLD Channel special, “Eyes on the Prize: Then and Now.” - American Experience: From the film Freedom Riders: John Lewis on Freedom to…
John Lewis on segregation and traveling in the south in 1960. - American Experience: From the film Freedom Riders: John Lewis on the Spirit of…
John Lewis speaks about the Freedom Rides’ accomplishments.