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A Last Message from
Congressman John Lewis
Congressman John Lewis died on July 17. Shortly
before his death, he addressed these words to the
demonstrators and protesters who have taken to the
streets on behalf of Black Lives Matter and against
police brutality and white supremacy.
While my time here has now come to an end, I want you
to know that in the last days and hours of my life you in
spired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter
of the great American story when you used your power to
make a difference in our society. Millions of people moti
vated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens
of division. Around the country and the world you set aside
race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect
for human dignity.
That is why I had to visit Black Lives Matter Plaza in
Washington, though I was admitted to the hospital the fol
lowing day. I just had to see and feel it for myself that, after
many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on.
Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard
Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. He was 14 when
he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time. I
will never, ever forget the moment when it became so clear
that he could easily have been me. In those days, fear con
strained us like an imaginary prison, and troubling thoughts
of potential brutality committed for no understandable rea
son were the bars.
Though I was surrounded by two loving parents, plenty
of brothers, sisters and cousins, their love could not protect
me from the unholy oppression waiting just outside that
family circle. Unchecked, unrestrained violence and gov
ernment-sanctioned terror had the power to turn a simple
stroll to the store for some Skittles or an innocent morning
jog down a lonesome country road into a nightmare. If we
are to survive as one unified nation, we must discover what
so readily takes root in our hearts that could rob Mother
Emanuel Church in South Carolina of her brightest and
best, shoot unwitting concertgoers in Las Vegas and choke
to death the hopes and dreams of a gifted violinist like Eli
jah McClain.
Like so many young people today, I was searching for a
way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the
voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio. He was
talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence.
He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. He
said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He
said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up
and speak out. When you see something that is not right,
you must say something. You must do something. Democ
racy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do
its part to help build what we called the Beloved Communi
ty, a nation and world society at peace with itself.
Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem
the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble,
necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democrat
ic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent
change agent you have in a democratic society. You must
use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.
You must also study and learn the lessons of history
because humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching,
existential struggle for a very long time. People on every
continent have stood in your shoes, though decades and
centuries before you. The truth does not change, and that
is why the answers worked out long ago can help you find
solutions to the challenges of our time. Continue to build
union between movements stretching across the globe be
cause we must put away our willingness to profit from the
exploitation of others.
Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer
the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you
truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate
that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is
the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom
ring.
When historians pick up their pens to write the story of
the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation
who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that
peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war.
So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters,
and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love
be your guide.
VOTE!
FLAGPOLE.COM | AUGUST 5, 2020