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John Robert Lewis

ジョン・R・ルイス

John R. Lewis

Pen Names: John Lewis（Common public usage）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1940-02-21 （Pike County, Alabama (near Troy)）
Died
2020-07-17 （Atlanta, Georgia） age 80
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Baptist (Protestant)
Residence History
Troy, Alabama (birth area) → Nashville, Tennessee (student activism) → Atlanta, Georgia (political career and residence) → Washington, D.C. (Congressional service) → New York City (brief residence/work)

Career

Occupations
Civil rights activist, Politician, Baptist minister, Author
Active Years
1959-2020
Affiliations
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Voter Education Project (Director), Democratic Party, U.S. House of Representatives (GA-5), Congressional Black Caucus
Memberships
Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Phi Beta Sigma (fraternity)
Influenced By
Martin Luther King Jr., James Lawson, Kelly Miller Smith
Influenced
Younger civil-rights activists and generations of civic organizers

Education

American Baptist College
Theology / Ministry
Degree: Ordained minister (Baptist)
Country: United States
Theological education in Nashville; ordained as a Baptist minister
Fisk University
Religion and Philosophy
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Year of Graduation: 1961
Country: United States
Earned a bachelor's degree at a historically black college

Awards

Presidential Medal of Freedom
2011
Organization: The White House / President of the United States
Result: 受賞
Robert F. Kennedy Book Award
1999
Work: Walking with the Wind
Organization: Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (Foundation)
Result: 受賞
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1999
Work: Walking with the Wind
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf
Result: 受賞
ALA Sibert Medal
2017
Work: March: Book Three
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 受賞
National Book Award (Young People's Literature)
2016
Work: March: Book Three
Category: Young People's Literature
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
Michael L. Printz Award
2017
Work: March: Book Three
Organization: YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association)
Result: 受賞
Spingarn Medal
Organization: NAACP
Result: 受賞
Congressional Gold Medal (Selma foot soldiers)
2016
Organization: United States Congress
Result: 受賞（セルマ行進の“フットソルジャー”代表として）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Walking with the Wind

1998 Memoir / Nonfiction

A memoir recounting Lewis's experiences in the Civil Rights Movement, including arrests, sit-ins and marches, and his personal background.

NonviolenceHuman rightsVoting rights

March: Book One

2013 Graphic novel / Memoir

A graphic-novel account of John Lewis's early civil-rights activism, covering student sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and organizing.

Youth activismNonviolenceHistorical memory

March: Book Two

2015 Graphic novel / Memoir

Second volume of the March trilogy, continuing the story of key events in the 1960s civil-rights movement.

MarchesOrganizingVoting rights expansion

March: Book Three

2016 Graphic novel / Memoir

The final volume of the March trilogy, depicting the Selma marches and the passage of civil-rights legislation, offering lessons for younger generations.

Sacrifice and hopeInstitutional reformIntergenerational legacy

Across That Bridge

2012 Essays / Nonfiction

A discussion of Lewis's philosophy of the Civil Rights Movement and life lessons, including messages to younger generations.

EthicsCall to actionHistorical awareness

Run

2021 Graphic novel / Memoir (posthumous release)

A follow-up to March, chronicling Lewis's life and work after the passage of civil-rights legislation (published posthumously in 2021).

Civil societyPolitical participationContinuing struggle

Bibliography

  • Walking with the Wind (1998)
  • March: Book One (2013)
  • March: Book Two (2015)
  • March: Book Three (2016)
  • Across That Bridge (2012)
  • Run (2021, posthumous)

Adaptations

  • Portrayal of John Lewis in the film Selma (2014)
  • Documentaries such as John Lewis: Get in the Way and John Lewis: Good Trouble

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Direct, didactic narrationTestimonial memoir styleVisual-historical storytelling in graphic-novel form
Recurring Motifs
NonviolenceVoting rights and enfranchisementMarches and bridges as symbolic spacesYouth engagement and generational change

Health

  • Pancreatic cancer (stage IV)
    2019-12 – 2020-07
    Diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in December 2019. Continued treatment while maintaining public duties; died in July 2020.

Legacy

John Lewis was a leading figure of the Civil Rights Movement and became known as the 'conscience' of Congress. Through marches and the doctrine of nonviolence he influenced generations, and is commemorated by awards, honors, and numerous public memorials.

Archives

  • SNCC Digital Gateway (documentary/archival project)
  • Library of Congress (holds related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Depicted in the film Selma (2014), featured in documentaries, and widespread influence of the March graphic-novel trilogy

Quotes

  • Get in good trouble, necessary trouble.
    Source: Used in speeches and public addresses
  • Young people, get in the way. You have the power to change our nation.
    Source: Posthumous op-ed and final writings (2020)

Trivia

  • He became the first member of Congress to author a graphic novel; the March trilogy reached wide readership.
  • He suffered a fractured skull on 'Bloody Sunday' (1965) during the Edmund Pettus Bridge march; the scar remained for life.
  • After his death, marches and efforts to rename public sites (including roads and bridges) in his honor gained momentum.