Pillar 4: John R. Lewis and Empowering Engagement

Pillar 4:

Empowering Engagement John R. Lewis and Empowering Engagement

“Sometimes you have to not just dream about what could be—you get out and push, and you pull, and you preach. And you create a climate and environment to get those in high places, to get men and women of goodwill in power to act.” - John R Lewis

Fighting for Voting Rights

“The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.” — John Lewis

John R Lewis dedicated much of his life to addressing Voting Rights for those in our country. After growing up seeing his family and community unable to participate due to unjust provisions and barriers, he worked tirelessly to improve access and promote voter registration. He put himself on the line and in harms way to ensure that voting discrimination was ended.   

“Too many people struggled, suffered, and died to make it possible for every American to exercise their right to vote.”— John Lewis

For 50 years, John R Lewis fought for voting rights. As a student activist, as a young civil rights professional, and as a career politician, he used his power to stand up for citizen's rights to participate in our democracy.

“To make it hard, to make it difficult almost impossible for people to cast a vote is not in keeping with the democratic process.”— John Lewis

Up until his death, John Lewis continued to fight for voters rights and prevent a backslide. Created in an effort to fight voter suppression and in honor of his great legacy, one of his final bills has now become know as the "John Lewis Voting Rights Act".

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Words of Power

During John R. Lewis' Career, he used several different tactics to inform and move forward movements. In various occasions, John Lewis spoke to activists and issues calls of non-violent action that initiated a vision of change. See if you can identify the following in the following videos:

  1. Defining the problem(s)
  2. Vision development
  3. Mapping the current system
  4. Identifying shared goal(s)
  5. Communicate how lives can change for the better

Speech at the March on Washington

City College of New York (CCNY) Commencement Speech

Let Action Speak

Lewis remained an activist throughout his life and during his career on Capitol Hill. When he saw the desire and need for change in our country, he called on popular movements to do what he had done in the 1960s: pressure Congress to act through Non-Violent tactics.

“Without social movement, without people speaking out, making their voices heard, without moving their feet, sometimes Congress is reluctant to move or to act...” 

After being elected as a US Representative in 1987, Lewis fought within his role as a US House Representative but he also continued to employ other non-violent tactics. He continued to join sit-ins and protests to fight for justice knowing the power that the actions had. Below are just a few of the examples during his time as Representative:

  • 1988 - Lewis was arrested during an anti-apartheid protest at the South African embassy in Washington
  • 1995 - Lewis joined protestors to disrupt a speech given by Speaker Newt Gingrich to a private organization in support of reductions to Medicare
  • 2003 - Lewis spoke to a crowd of 30,000 in Oregon during an anti-war protest before the start of the Iraq War
  • 2006 & 2009 - he was arrested for protesting against the genocide in Darfur outside the Sudanese embassy
  • 2013 - Lewis was arrested on Capitol Hill in an act of civil disobedience to encourage support of immigration reform
  • 2016 - Lewis led a 25-hour sit-in on the House Floor to protest the lack of gun control legislation following a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

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Moving Forward

Ahead, you will learn more about how UCSC Students have exemplified empowering engagement.