John Lewis 1940-2020

He was a living icon. I always thought it strange and kind of sad that someone with the qualities and the grace of John Lewis would be forced, day by day, to  associate on the floor of congress with such an assortment of fools, kooks and criminals that comprise so much of the House of Reprehensibles. The man was a flower among the weeds; a king among the knaves. My favorite photograph of him is the mug-shot above, taken in Jackson, Mississippi in May of 1962. There he stood in a hostile land that was not his home. He was within moments of being thrown into a jail notorious for its cruel treatment on African American inmates. Look at his face in that photograph. John Lewis is not afraid. John Lewis is content. John Lewis is at peace with himself and the universe.

Reading his memoirs about two years ago, I was struck by the fact that there was so much of his story that I had been unfamiliar with. Before reading that incredible book, I had always been impressed by him, but I always thought that the dude took everything just a bit too seriously. Why doesn't he ever seem to smile? I used to think. After reading his autobiography, which is called "Walking With the Wind" I understood better the seriousness of John Lewis. His mission in life involved a lot more than fixing potholes for his constituents. His reason for being on this troubled planet was sacred. He was as holy as any American ever born. I'm am not exaggerating.

I understand that he was eighty-years-old and that it's never a complete shock when someone that age passes into eternity, but losing John Lewis is a hard thing to accept on too many levels to count. To call him irreplaceable would be an understatement: It cannot be stated in words what a loss his death means to America - whether the people realize it or not. It makes it all-the-more bitter that we lose him in this time of chaos and confusion, violence and corruption. America needs his wisdom more than ever before, and it's now hard to imagine our public life without his forceful but gentle presence in it.

In March of 1965, John Lewis, along with hundreds of other people, was beaten senseless by the Alabama state police as they tried to march peacefully across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. John suffered a fractured skull on that dark day and almost didn't survive. For the past couple of weeks there has been a petition going around to take the name of the old confederate racist down from that bridge and rename the structure for John Lewis. Humble as always, Lewis objected to the idea. The fact is, he's no longer around to complain. It should be forever known as The John Lewis Bridge. Considering the time we're living through, the symbolism behind such a move would be incalculable. The city fathers and mothers of Selma should know that the time to do this is now.

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY

ESSENTIAL VIEWING:

Here is a YouTube link to view John Lewis' speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in August of 1963. Bear in mind that he was a mere twenty-three at the time. This was the moment that he was thrust into America' consciousness. He has never left it. He never will.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFs1eTsokJg 


He may be gone, but he won't be going away any time soon.