Like many during quarantine, I have watched movies and television shows that I have never seen before to help pass the time. One of those movies was Selma, a true story about the fight for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I already knew a little bit about the town of Selma itself after President Obama spoke at the 50th anniversary of the marches across Edmund Pettus Bridge, but I knew very little about the Congressman that helped orchestrate the event that led to what the world knows as Bloody Sunday. I believe that I first became formally acquainted with John Lewis when he crowd surfed on an episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Since then, I had always known Congressman Lewis as the "fun" politician. Something that I had pretty much always known about him is how he almost lost his life on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but it never seemed real until watching the events unfold on film. I think that we too often teach about events like Bloody Sunday, the Holocaust, or the Trail of Tears without the emotion or perspective of the souls and livelihoods that were lost. When I was watching the movie, I asked my mom, who was watching it with me, if John Lewis was the last member of the Big Six that was still alive. Little did I know that about a month later, Lewis would lose his battle with cancer. I had originally planned a different project for my Honors Capstone, but like many things during 2020, those plans changed. It is because of the life and legacy of John Lewis that this project came into creation. I hope that with this blog, I can inspire the next generation of young Americans to view life critically, the way John Lewis did for me. I would not be here, or be having these conversations without him. Through his humor and the way that he lived life, I was able to truly understand the definition of "good trouble." Thank you, Congressman, for showing me what this nation, and this world can be.
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AuthorAndrew Painter — Western Washington University Honors student Categories |