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John Lewis (civil rights leader)
John Lewis
|Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 5th district
|Assumed office
January 3, 1987
|Preceded by
|Wyche Fowler
|3rd Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
|In office
June 1963 – May 1966
|Preceded by
|Charles McDew
|Succeeded by
|Kwame Ture
|Personal details
John Robert Lewis
February 21, 1940
Troy, Alabama, U.S.
|Political party
Lillian Miles
( m. 1968; died 2012)
American Baptist College (
Fisk University ( BA)
|House website
John Robert Lewis (born February 21, 1940) is an American politician and civil rights leader. He is the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 5th congressional district, serving in his 17th term in the House, having served since 1987, and is the dean of the Georgia congressional delegation. His district includes the northern three-fourths of Atlanta. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Lewis, who as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was one of the " Big Six" leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington, played many key roles in the Civil Rights Movement and its actions to end legalized racial segregation in the United States. He is a member of the Democratic Party leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives and has served as a Chief Deputy Whip since 1991 and Senior Chief Deputy Whip since 2003.
Lewis has been awarded many honorary degrees and is the recipient of numerous awards from eminent national and international institutions, including the highest civilian honor of the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- 1 Early life
- 2 Civil rights activism
3 U.S. House of Representatives
- 3.1 Elections
- 3.2 Tenure
- 3.3 Committee assignments
- 3.4 Caucus membership
- 4 Biographies
- 5 Personal life
- 6 Honors
- 7 Electoral history
- 8 In popular culture
- 9 Bibliography
- 10 See also
- 11 References
- 12 Further reading
- 13 External links
Early life
John Lewis was born in Troy, Alabama, the third son of Willie Mae (née Carter) and Eddie Lewis. [1] His parents were sharecroppers. [2] Lewis grew up in Pike County, Alabama. He has several siblings, including brothers Edward, Grant, Freddie, Sammy, Adolph, and William, and sisters Ethel, Rosa, and Ora. At the age of six, Lewis had seen only two white people in his life. [3] He was educated at the Pike County Training High School, Brundidge, Alabama, and also American Baptist Theological Seminary and at Fisk University, both in Nashville, Tennessee, where he became a leader in the Nashville sit-ins. [4] While a student, he was invited to attend nonviolence workshops held in the basement of Clark Memorial United Methodist Church by the Rev. James Lawson and Rev. Kelly Miller Smith. There, Lewis and many of his fellow students became dedicated adherents to the discipline and philosophy of nonviolence, which he still practices today.
The Nashville sit-in movement was responsible for the desegregation of lunch counters in downtown Nashville. Lewis was arrested and jailed many times in the nonviolent movement to desegregate the downtown area of the city. Afterwards, he participated in the Freedom Rides sponsored by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), led by James Farmer, and ultimately became a national leader in the movement for civil rights and respect for human dignity. [2] In an interview, John Lewis said, "I saw racial discrimination as a young child. I saw those signs that said 'White Men, Colored Men, White Women, Colored Women'. ... I remember as a young child with some of my brothers and sisters and first cousins going down to the public library trying to get library cards, trying to check some books out, and we were told by the librarian that the library was for whites only and not for 'coloreds'." During a childhood trip to Buffalo, New York, Lewis saw for the first time black men and white men working together, desegregating water fountains, and began to believe the dream of equality was more than just a dream. Lewis listened to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks on the radio, and he and his family supported the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Lewis met Parks in 1957 when he was 17, and he met King the following year. [5]
Civil rights activism
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John Lewis was the youngest of the "Big Six" leaders as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from 1963 to 1966, some of the most tumultuous years of the Civil Rights Movement. During his tenure, SNCC opened Freedom Schools, launched the Mississippi Freedom Summer, and organized some of the voter registration efforts during the 1965 Selma voting rights campaign. As the chairman of SNCC, Lewis had written a speech in reaction to the Civil Rights Bill of 1963. He denounced the bill because it didn't protect African Americans against police brutality or provide African Americans with the right to vote.
Lewis graduated from the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville and then received a bachelor's degree in Religion and Philosophy from Fisk University. As a student, he was very dedicated to the Civil Rights Movement. He organized sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in Nashville and took part in many other civil rights activities as part of the Nashville Student Movement. He was instrumental in organizing student sit-ins, bus boycotts and nonviolent protests in the fight for voter and racial equality.
In 1960, Lewis became one of the 13 original Freedom Riders. There were seven whites and six blacks who were determined to ride from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans in an integrated fashion. At that time, several states of the old Confederacy still enforced laws prohibiting black and white riders from sitting next to each other on public transportation. The Freedom Ride, originated by the Fellowship of Reconciliation and revived by James Farmer and CORE, was initiated to pressure the federal government to enforce the Supreme Court decision in Boynton v. Virginia (1960) that declared segregated interstate bus travel to be unconstitutional. In the South, Lewis and other nonviolent Freedom Riders were beaten by angry mobs, arrested at times and taken to jail. When CORE gave up on the Freedom Ride because of the violence, Lewis and fellow activist Diane Nash arranged for the Nashville students to take it over and bring it to a successful conclusion.
In 1963, when Chuck McDew stepped down as SNCC chairman, Lewis, one of the founding members of SNCC, was quickly elected to take over. Lewis's experience at that point was already widely respected. His courage and his tenacious adherence to the philosophy of reconciliation and nonviolence made him emerge as a leader. By this time, he had been arrested 24 times in the nonviolent struggle for equal justice. He held the post of chairman until 1966.
In 1963, as chairman of SNCC Lewis was named one of the "Big Six" leaders who were organizing the March on Washington, the occasion of Dr. King's celebrated " I Have a Dream" speech, along with Whitney Young, A. Philip Randolph, James Farmer and Roy Wilkins. Lewis also spoke at the March. Discussing the occasion, historian Howard Zinn wrote: "At the great Washington March of 1963, the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), John Lewis, speaking to the same enormous crowd that heard Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech, was prepared to ask the right question: 'Which side is the federal government on?' That sentence was eliminated from his speech by organizers of the March to avoid offending the Kennedy Administration. But Lewis and his fellow SNCC workers had experienced, again and again, the strange passivity of the national government in the face of Southern violence." [6] At 23 he was the youngest speaker that day and is the last remaining living speaker. [7]
In 1964, Lewis coordinated SNCC's efforts for " Mississippi Freedom Summer," a campaign to register black voters across the South. The Freedom Summer was an attempt to expose college students from around the country to the perils of African-American life in the South. Lewis traveled the country encouraging students to spend their summer break trying to help people in Mississippi, the most recalcitrant state in the union, to register and vote. Lewis became nationally known during his prominent role in the Selma to Montgomery marches when, on March 7, 1965 – a day that would become known as " Bloody Sunday" – Lewis and fellow activist Hosea Williams led over 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. At the end of the bridge, they were met by Alabama State Troopers who ordered them to disperse. When the marchers stopped to pray, the police discharged tear gas and mounted troopers charged the demonstrators, beating them with night sticks. Lewis's skull was fractured, but he escaped across the bridge to Brown Chapel, the movement's headquarter church in Selma. Before Lewis could be taken to the hospital, he appeared before the television cameras calling on President Johnson to intervene in Alabama. Lewis bears scars from the incident on his head that are still visible today.
At 21 years old, Lewis was the first of the Freedom Riders to be assaulted while in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He tried to enter a whites-only waiting room and two white men attacked him, injuring his face and kicking him in the ribs. Nevertheless, only two weeks later Lewis joined a Freedom Ride that was bound for Jackson. "We were determined not to let any act of violence keep us from our goal. We knew our lives could be threatened, but we had made up our minds not to turn back," Lewis said recently in regard to his perseverance following the act of violence. [8]
In an interview with CNN during the 40th anniversary of the Freedom Rides, Lewis recounted the sheer amount of violence he and the 12 other original Freedom Riders endured. In Anniston, Alabama, the bus was fire-bombed after Ku Klux Klan members deflated its tires, forcing it to come to a stop. Lewis, however, was not present on that particular day. In Birmingham, the Riders were mercilessly beaten, and in Montgomery, an angry mob met the bus, and Lewis was hit in the head with a wooden crate. "It was very violent. I thought I was going to die. I was left lying at the Greyhound bus station in Montgomery unconscious," said Lewis, remembering the incident.
The original intent of the Freedom Rides was to test the new law that banned segregation in public transportation. It also exposed the passivity of the government regarding violence against citizens of the country who were simply acting in accordance to the law. [9] The federal government had trusted the notoriously racist Alabama police to protect the Riders, but did nothing itself, except to have FBI agents take notes. The Kennedy Administration then called for a cooling-off period, a moratorium on Freedom Rides. [6] Lewis had been imprisoned for forty days in the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Sunflower County, Mississippi, after participating in a Freedom Riders activity in that state. [10]
In February 2009, forty-eight years after he had been bloodied by the Ku Klux Klan during civil rights marches, Lewis received an apology on national television from a white southerner, former Klansman Elwin Wilson. [11] [12]
U.S. House of Representatives
In January 1977, incumbent Democrat U.S. Congressman Andrew Young of Georgia's 5th congressional district resigned in order to become the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. under President Jimmy Carter. In the March 1977 open primary, Atlanta City Councilman Wyche Fowler, Jr. ranked first with 40% of the vote, failing to reach the 50% threshold to win outright. Lewis ranked second with 29% of the vote. [13] In the April election, Fowler defeated Lewis 62%–38%. [14] After his unsuccessful bid for Congress in 1977, he accepted a position with the Carter administration as associate director of ACTION, responsible for running the VISTA program, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and the Foster Grandparent Program. He held that job for two and a half years, resigning as the 1980 election approached. [15] In 1981, Lewis was elected to the Atlanta City Council.
After nine years as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Fowler gave up the seat to make a successful run for the U.S. Senate. Lewis decided to run for the 5th district again. In the August Democratic primary, where a victory was considered tantamount to election, State Representative Julian Bond ranked first with 47%, just three points shy of winning outright. Lewis earned 35% in second place. [16] In the run-off, Lewis pulled an upset against Bond, defeating him 52% to 48%. [17] The race was said to have "badly strained relations in Atlanta's black community". Lewis was "endorsed by the Atlanta newspapers and a favorite of the white liberal establishment", with his victory coming from his strong polling among white voters (a minority in the district). During the campaign, he ran advertisements accusing Bond of corruption, implying that Bond used cocaine, and suggesting that Bond had lied about his civil rights activism. [18] [19]
In the November general election, Lewis defeated Republican Portia Scott 75% to 25%. [20]
John Lewis has been reelected 14 times. He has dropped below 70 percent of the vote only twice. In 1994, he defeated Republican Dale Dixon by a 38-point margin, 69%–31%. [21] He even ran unopposed in 1996 and from 2004 to 2008, 2014, and again in 2018.
He was challenged in the Democratic primary just twice: in 1992 and 2008. In 1992, he defeated State Representative Mable Thomas 76%–24%. [22] In 2008, Thomas decided to challenge Lewis again, as well as the Reverend Markel Hutchins. Lewis defeated Hutchins and Thomas 69%–16%-15%. [23]
On May 5, 2014, Lewis delivered the keynote address at the commencement exercises for the School of Visual Arts (SVA), urging the graduating artists to use their talents to fight injustice, saying, "You have a mandate to get out and disturb the order of things." [24] SVA honored Lewis with an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts. [25] In 2017, Lewis delivered the keynote addresses at the commencement exercises for both Bard College and Bank Street College of Education.
Lewis represents Georgia's 5th congressional district, one of the most consistently Democratic districts in the nation. Since its formalization in 1845, the district has been represented by a Democrat for all but eleven years.
Lewis is one of the most liberal members of the House, and one of the most liberal congressmen ever to represent a district in the Deep South. He has been categorized as a "Hard-Core Liberal" by On the Issues. [26] The Washington Post described Lewis in 1998 as "a fiercely partisan Democrat but ... also fiercely independent." [27] Lewis characterized himself as a strong and adamant liberal. [27] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Lewis was the "only former major civil rights leader who extended his fight for human rights and racial reconciliation to the halls of Congress." [28] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also said that to "those who know him, from U.S. senators to 20-something congressional aides," he is called the "conscience of Congress." [28] Lewis has cited former Florida Senator and Congressman Claude Pepper, a staunch liberal, as being the colleague that he has most admired. [29] Lewis has spoken out in support of gay rights and national health insurance. [27]
Lewis opposed the U.S. waging of the 1991 Gulf War, [30] [31] and the 2000 trade agreement with China that passed the House. [32] He opposed the Clinton administration on NAFTA and welfare reform. [27] After welfare reform passed, Lewis was described as outraged; he said, "Where is the sense of decency? What does it profit a great nation to conquer the world, only to lose its soul?" [33] In 1994, when Clinton was considering invading Haiti, Lewis, in contrast to the Congressional Black Caucus as a whole, opposed armed intervention. [34] When Clinton did send troops to Haiti, Lewis called for supporting the troops and called the intervention a "mission of peace". [35] In 1998, when Clinton was considering a military strike against Iraq, Lewis said he would back the president if American forces were ordered into action. [36] In 2001, three days after the September 11 attacks, Lewis voted to give Bush authority to retaliate in a vote that was 420–1; Lewis called it probably one of his toughest votes. [37] In 2002, he sponsored the Peace Tax Fund bill, a conscientious objection to military taxation initiative that had been reintroduced yearly since 1972. [38] Lewis was a "fierce partisan critic of President Bush" and the Iraq war. [28] The Associated Press said he was "the first major House figure to suggest impeaching George W. Bush," arguing that the president "deliberately, systematically violated the law" in authorizing the National Security Agency to conduct wiretaps without a warrant. Lewis said, "He is not king, he is president." [39]
Lewis draws on his historical involvement in the Civil Rights Movement as part of his politics. He "makes an annual pilgrimage to Alabama to retrace the route he marched in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery – a route Lewis has since had declared part of the Historic National Trails program. That trip has become one of the hottest tickets in Washington among lawmakers, Republican and Democrat, eager to associate themselves with Lewis and the movement. 'We don't deliberately set out to win votes, but it's very helpful,' Lewis said of the trip.". [28] In recent years, however, Faith and Politics Institute has drawn criticism for selling seats on the trip to lobbyists for at least $25,000 each. [40] According to the Center for Public Integrity, even Lewis said that he would feel "much better" if the institute's funding came from churches and foundations instead of corporations. [40]
On June 3, 2011, the House passed a resolution 268–145, calling for a withdrawal of the United States military from the air and naval operations in and around Libya. [41] Lewis voted against the resolution. [42]
In January 2001, Lewis boycotted the Inauguration of George W. Bush by staying in his Atlanta district. He did not attend the swearing-in because he didn't believe Bush was the true elected president. [43]
In March 2003, Lewis spoke to a crowd of 30,000 in Oregon during an anti-war protest before the start of the Iraq War. [44] He was arrested in 2006 [45] and 2009 and outside the Sudan embassy in protest against the genocide in Darfur. [46] He was one of eight U.S. Representatives, from six states, arrested while holding a sit-in near the west side of the U.S. Capitol building, to advocate for immigration reform. The lawmakers' participation and subsequent arrest in the protest occurred despite the fact that the 2013 government shutdown was going on at the time. [47] Lewis also led the 2016 House Democrats sit-in demanding that the House take action on gun control in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting and the failure of the United States Senate to act. [48]
2008 presidential election
At first, Lewis supported Hillary Clinton, endorsing her presidential campaign on October 12, 2007. [49] On February 14, 2008, however, he announced he was considering withdrawing his support from Clinton and might instead cast his superdelegate vote for Barack Obama: "Something is happening in America and people are prepared and ready to make that great leap." [50] Ben Smith of Politico said that "it would be a seminal moment in the race if John Lewis were to switch sides." [51]
On February 27, 2008, Lewis formally changed his support and endorsed Obama. [52] [53] After Obama clinched the Democratic nomination for president, Lewis said "If someone had told me this would be happening now, I would have told them they were crazy, out of their mind, they didn't know what they were talking about ... I just wish the others were around to see this day. ... To the people who were beaten, put in jail, were asked questions they could never answer to register to vote, it's amazing." [54] Despite switching his support to Obama, Lewis' support of Clinton for several months led to criticism from his constituents. One of his challengers in the House primary election set up campaign headquarters inside the building that served as Obama's Georgia office. [55]
In October 2008, Lewis issued a statement criticizing the campaign of John McCain and Sarah Palin and accusing them of "sowing the seeds of hatred and division" in a way that brought to mind the late Gov. George Wallace and "another destructive period" in American political history. McCain said he was "saddened" by the criticism from "a man I've always admired," and called on Obama to repudiate Lewis's statement. Obama responded to the statement, saying that he "does not believe that John McCain or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies." [56] Lewis later issued a follow-up statement clarifying that he had not compared McCain and Palin to Wallace himself, but rather that his earlier statement was a "reminder to all Americans that toxic language can lead to destructive behavior." [57]
On an African American being elected president, he said:
If you ask me whether the election ... is the fulfillment of Dr. King's dream, I say, "No, it's just a down payment." There's still too many people 50 years later, there's still too many people that are being left out and left behind. [58]
2016 firearm safety legislation sit-in
On June 22, 2016, House Democrats, led by Lewis and Massachusetts Representative Katherine Clark, began a sit-in demanding House Speaker Paul Ryan allow a vote on gun-safety legislation in the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub shooting. Speaker pro tempore Daniel Webster ordered the House into recess, but Democrats refused to leave the chamber for nearly 26 hours. [59]
National Museum of African American History and Culture
In 1988, the year after he was sworn into Congress, Lewis introduced a bill to create a national African American museum in Washington. The bill failed and for 15 years he continued to introduce it with each new congress, but each time it was blocked in the Senate, largely by Conservative, Southern Senator Jesse Helms. In 2002, Helms did not seek reelection, Lewis gained bipartisan support, and in 2003 President George W. Bush signed the bill to establish the museum, with the Smithsonian's Board of Regents to establish the location. The National Museum of African American History and Culture, located adjacent to the Washington Memorial, held its opening ceremony on September 25, 2016. [60]
2016 presidential election
Lewis supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries against Bernie Sanders. Regarding Sanders' role in the Civil Rights Movement, Lewis remarked "To be very frank, I never saw him, I never met him. I chaired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee for three years, from 1963 to 1966. I was involved in sit-ins, in the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, the March from Selma to Montgomery ... but I met Hillary Clinton". Former Congressman and Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie wrote a letter to Lewis saying "I'm writing to you in a state of shock and disappointment as an admirer of long-standing and a colleague of more than two decades. Your remarks about Senator Sanders and his civil rights record are deeply offensive not only to me but to hundreds of thousands of others dedicated to and participants in the Civil Rights Movement. In all honesty, John, when did you become the doorkeeper at the entrance to the Civil Rights gate? I cannot fathom how you think you advance the cause for Secretary Clinton by denigrating Senator Sanders or anyone else no matter how modest their contributions might be in your eyes." Lewis later clarified his statement saying "During the late '50s and '60s when I was more engaged, [Sanders] was not there. I did not see him around. I have never seen him in the South. But if he was there, if he was involved someplace, I was not aware of it." [61] [62]
In a January 2016 interview, Lewis compared Donald Trump, then the Republican front-runner, to former Governor George Wallace. "I've been around a while and Trump reminds me so much of a lot of the things that George Wallace said and did. I think demagogues are pretty dangerous, really. ... We shouldn't divide people, we shouldn't separate people." [63]
On January 13, 2017, during an interview with NBC's Chuck Todd for Meet the Press, Lewis stated: "I don't see the president-elect as a legitimate president." [64] He added, "I think the Russians participated in having this man get elected, and they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. I don't plan to attend the Inauguration. I think there was a conspiracy on the part of the Russians, and others, that helped him get elected. That's not right. That's not fair. That's not the open, democratic process." [65] Trump replied on Twitter the following day, suggesting that Lewis should "spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to [...] mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results," and accusing Lewis of being "All talk, talk, talk – no action or results. Sad!" [66] Trump's statement about Lewis' district was rated as "Mostly False" by PolitiFact, [67] and he was criticized for attacking a civil rights leader such as John Lewis, especially one who was brutally beaten for the cause, and especially on Martin Luther King weekend. [68] [69] [70] Senator John McCain acknowledged Lewis as "an American hero" but criticized him saying "this is not the first time that Congressman Lewis has taken a very extreme stand and condemned without any shred of evidence for doing so an incoming president of the United States. This is a stain on Congressman Lewis' reputation — no one else's." [71] The New York Post noted that Lewis used the "same unfounded, cookie-cutter personal attacks against Republican after Republican". [72]
A few days later, Lewis said that he would not attend Trump's inauguration because he did not believe that Trump was the true elected president. "It will be the first (inauguration) that I miss since I've been in Congress. You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong, is not right," he said. Lewis had failed to attend George W. Bush's inauguration in 2001 because he believed that he too was not a legitimately elected president, and PolitiFact rated his statement about this being the first inauguration that he had missed "Pants on Fire." [73] [74] [75]
Committee assignments
- Committee on Ways and Means
Caucus membership
- Congressional Black Caucus;
- Co-chair of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Caucus;
- Bipartisan Taskforce on Nonproliferation;
- Congressional Progressive Caucus; [76]
- Congressional Caucus on Global Road Safety
- Congressional Arts Caucus [77]
- Afterschool Caucuses [78]
- United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus [79]
Since 1991, Lewis has been senior chief deputy whip in the Democratic caucus. [80]
Lewis's autobiography, Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement, co-written with Michael D'Orso, was published in 1998. His life is also the subject of a 2002 book for young people, John Lewis: From Freedom Rider to Congressman. In 2012, Lewis released Across That Bridge, written with Brenda Jones, to mixed reviews. Publishers Weekly's review said, "At its best, the book provides a testament to the power of nonviolence in social movements… At its worst, it resembles an extended campaign speech". [81]
In 2013, Lewis became the first member of Congress to write a graphic novel, with the launch of a trilogy titled March. The March trilogy is a black and white comics trilogy about the Civil Rights Movement, told through the perspective of civil rights leader and U.S. Congressman John Lewis. The first volume, March: Book One is written by Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated and lettered by Nate Powell and was published in August 2013, [82] the second volume, March: Book Two was published in January 2015 and the final volume, March: Book Three was published in August 2016. [83]
In an August 2014 interview, Lewis cited the influence of a 1958 comic book, Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, on his decision to adapt his experience to the graphic novel format. [84] March: Book One became a number one New York Times bestseller for graphic novels [85] and spent more than a year on the lists.
March: Book One received an "Author Honor" from the American Library Association's 2014 Coretta Scott King Book Awards. [86] Book One also became the first graphic novel to win a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, receiving a "Special Recognition" bust in 2014. [87]
March: Book One was selected by first-year reading programs in 2014 at Michigan State University, [88] Georgia State University, [89] and Marquette University. [90]
March: Book Two was released in 2015 and immediately became both a New York Times and Washington Post bestseller for graphic novels.
The release of March: Book Three in August 2016 brought all three volumes into the top 3 slots of the New York Times bestseller list for graphic novels for 6 consecutive weeks. [91] The third volume was announced as the recipient of the 2017 Printz Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, the 2016 National Book Award in Young People's Literature, [92] and the Sibert Medal at the American Library Association's annual Midwinter Meeting in January 2017. [93]
The March trilogy received the Carter G. Woodson Book Award in the Secondary (grades 7–12) category in 2017. [94]
In 2018, Lewis and Andrew Aydin co-wrote another graphic novel as sequel to the March series entitled Run. The graphic novel picks up the events in Lewis' life after the passage of the Civil Rights Act. The authors teamed with award-winning comic book illustrator Afua Richardson for the book, which was released in August 2018. Nate Powell, who illustrated March, also contributed to the art. [95]
Personal life
Lewis met Lillian Miles at a New Year's Eve party hosted by Xernona Clayton. They married in 1968. Together, they had one son, named John-Miles. Lillian died on December 31, 2012. [96]
Lewis is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. [97]
Lewis is honored with the 1997 sculpture by Thornton Dial, The Bridge, at Ponce de Leon Avenue and Freedom Park, Atlanta. Two years later, in 1999, Lewis was awarded the Wallenberg Medal from the University of Michigan in recognition of his courageous lifelong commitment to the defense of civil and human rights. In that same year he received the Four Freedoms Award for the Freedom of Speech. [98]
In 2001, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation awarded Lewis the Profile in Courage Award "for his extraordinary courage, leadership and commitment to civil rights." [99] It is a lifetime achievement award and has been given out only twice, John Lewis and William Winter (in 2008).The next year he was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. [100]
In 2006, he received the US Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards. [101] In September 2007, Lewis was awarded the Dole Leadership Prize from the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas. [102]
Lewis was the only living speaker from the March on Washington present on the stage during the inauguration of Barack Obama. Obama signed a commemorative photograph for Lewis with the words, "Because of you, John. Barack Obama." [103]
On November 17, 2010, Lewis was awarded the First LBJ Liberty and Justice for All Award, given to him by the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, [104] and the next year, Lewis was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. [105]
On January 6, 2016, it was announced that a future United States Navy underway replenishment oiler would be named USNS John Lewis. [106] On May 29, 2016, Lewis gave the Class of 2016 Commencement Address at Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine. [107]
Honorary academic degrees
- 1999: Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston [108]
- 2007: Honorary LL.D. degree from the University of Vermont
- 2012: Honorary LL.D. degrees from Brown University, [109] University of Pennsylvania, [110] Harvard University, [111] and the University of Connecticut School of Law
- 2013: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters [112] from Judson College.
- 2013: Honorary LL.D. degrees from Cleveland State University [113] and Union College [114]
- 2014: Honorary LL.D. degree from Emory University [115]
- 2014: Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts. [25]
- 2014: Honorary Bachelor of Arts from Lawrence University. [116]
- 2015: Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University. [117]
- 2016: Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from New York University. [118]
- 2016: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Bates College [107]
- 2016: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Washington University in St. Louis [119]
- 2016: Honorary Doctor of Policy Analysis from the Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School [120]
- 2017: Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Yale Law School [121]
On September 19, 2016, Rep. John Lewis was awarded the Liberty Medal at the National Constitution Center. The prestigious award has been awarded to international leaders from Malala Yousafzai to the Dalai Lama, presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton and other dignitaries and visionaries. The timing of Lewis's award coincided with the 150th anniversary of the 14th amendment. [122] [123]
On May 24, 2018, he was Harvard University's Commencement Speaker. [111] As part of the ceremony, Joshuah Campbell performed his song Sing Out March On in his honor. [124]
Electoral history
|John Lewis
|Portia Scott
|John Lewis
|J. W. Tibbs
|John Lewis
|J. W. Tibbs
|John Lewis
|Paul Stabler
|John Lewis
|Dale Dixon
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|John H. Lewis
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|Hank Schwab
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|Fenn Little
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|Howard Stopeck
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|Douglas Bell
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|No candidate
In popular culture
Lewis is portrayed by Stephan James in the 2014 film Selma. He made a cameo appearance in the music video for Young Jeezy's song " My President", which was released in the month of Obama's inauguration. [130] [131] In February 2018, John Lewis voiced his guest character (also called "John Lewis") in the Arthur episode "Arthur Takes a Stand".
- Reporting Civil Rights: American Journalism 1963–1973 (Library of America: 2003) ISBN 1-931082-29-4
- Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement by John Lewis with Mike D'Orso, (Harvest Books: 1999) ISBN 0-15-600708-8. The U.S. Congressman tells of life in the trenches of the Civil Rights Movement, the numerous arrests, sit-ins, and marches that led to breaking down the barriers of discrimination in the South during the 1950s and 1960s.
- John Lewis in the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement by Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson, illustrated by Benny Andrews, (Lee & Low Books: 2006) ISBN 978-1-58430-250-6. A biography of John Lewis, one of the "Big Six" leaders who were chairman of activist groups organizing the 1963 March on Washington, focusing on his involvement in Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, and the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.
- John Lewis: From Freedom Rider to Congressman by Christine M. Hill, (Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2002) ISBN 0-7660-1768-0. A biography of John Lewis written for juvenile readers.
- Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Frontlines of the Civil Rights Movement by Ann Bausum, ( National Geographic Society, 2006) ISBN 0-7922-4173-8.
- Across That Bridge by John Lewis with Brenda Jones, (Hyperion: 2012) ISBN 978-1-4013-2411-7. Winner of the 2013 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work/Biography. It is an accessible discussion of Lewis's philosophy and his viewpoint of the philosophical basis of the Civil Rights Movement.
- March: Book One a 2013 illustrated comic history of Lewis' career, with sequels published in 2015 and 2016, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, ( Top Shelf Productions: 2013) ISBN 978-1-60309-300-2.
See also
- 2016 House Democrats sit-in
- List of African-American United States Representatives
- List of civil rights leaders
- ^ Stated on Finding Your Roots, PBS, March 25, 2012
- ^ a b Reporting Civil Rights: American Journalism 1963–1973, Part Two Carson, Clayborne, Garrow, David, Kovach, Polsgrove, Carol (Editorial Advisory Board), (Library of America: February 2003) ISBN 978-1-931082-29-7, pp. 15–16, 48, 56, 84, 323, 374, 384, 392, 491–94, 503, 505, 513, 556, 726, 751, 846, 873
- ^ John Lewis (1998). Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 7. ISBN 9780156007085. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ "Congressman John R. Lewis Biography and Interview". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "The Montgomery Bus Boycott, 50 Years Later". December 1, 2005.John Lewis interview
- ^ a b "My Name Is Freedom Albany, Georgia". You Can't Be Neutral on A Moving Train. Boston: Beacon Press. Archived from the original (reprint) on February 19, 1999.
^ "The Sixties".
Junior Scholastic. February 11, 1994. p. 6. Missing or empty
|url=( help)
- ^ "The Freedom Riders, Then and Now". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ "Civil Rights Timeline". CNN. January 31, 2006. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012.
- ^ Minor, Bill (April 2, 2010). "New law meant to eliminate existing 'donut hole'". Editorial. DeSoto Times-Tribune (online ed.). Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ "Once Race Riot Enemies, Now Friends". ABC News. February 6, 2009. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
- ^ "Man Asks Entire Town for Forgiveness for Racism". ABCnews.go. February 6, 2009. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
- ^ "GA District 5 – Special Election Primary Race – Mar 15, 1977". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ "GA District 5 – Special Election Race – Apr 05, 1977". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ Lewis, Walking with the Wind, pp. 446–451.
- ^ "GA District 5 – D Primary Race – Aug 12, 1986". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ "GA District 5 – D Runoff Race – Sep 02, 1986". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ Clendinen, Dudley (September 3, 1986). "Ex-Colleague Upsets Julian Bond in Atlanta Congressional Runoff". The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ Timothy Dwyer (April 15, 1987). "Julian Bond Says He Never Used Cocaine, Blames Wife's Charges on Domestic Rift". philly-archives. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ "GA District 5 Race – Nov 04, 1986". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ "GA District 5 Race – Nov 08, 1994". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ "GA District 5 – D Primary Race – Jul 21, 1992". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ "GA District 5 – D Primary Race – Jul 15, 2008". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ Herbowy, Greg (Fall 2014). "Q+A: Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell." Visual Arts Journal. pp. 48-51
- ^ a b Rhodes, David (Fall 2014). "From the President". Visual Arts Journal. p. 3
- ^ "Issues 2000 Lewis". Issues2000.
- ^ a b c d "Nonviolent Fighter; John Lewis Retraces the Route That Led to the Future": Carlson, Peter. The Washington Post [Washington, D.C] June 9, 1998: 01.
- ^ a b c d John Lewis: 'Conscience' carries clout: Civil rights icon's moral authority enhanced: [Main Edition] Kemper, Bob. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution [Atlanta] May 21, 2006: .1.
- ^ Smith, Asher (April 21, 2008). "The Tuesday Ten: An Interview with Rep. John Lewis". The Emory Wheel. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009.
^ Mike Christensen (January 11, 1991). "Mideast Trip Strengthens Georgia Lawmakers' Resolve".
The Atlanta Constitution. p. A7. Missing or empty
|url=( help)
^ Colin Campbell (February 19, 1998). "Tour labors in opposition to NAFTA". The Atlanta Constitution. p. F02. Missing or empty
|url=( help)
- ^ Eric Schmitt and Joseph Kahn (May 25, 2000). "The China trade vote: A Clinton triumph; House, in 237–197 vote, approves normal trade rights for China". The New York Times. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- ^ "Social programs: world report. The wreck of the gravy train": Canada and the World Backgrounder 62. 2 (Oct 1996): 3–34.
^ Sharon Schmickle (September 16, 1994). "President faces strong opposition in Congress".
Star Tribune. p. 1. Missing or empty
|url=( help)
- ^ "Shared power, foreign policy, and Haiti, 1994. Public memories of war and race." Goodnight, G. Thomas; Olson, Kathryn M.; Rhetoric & Public Affairs 9. 4 (Winter 2006): 601–634.
^ Mark Sherman (February 12, 1998). "Georgia delegation divided on strategy; Some back force, others doubt military action is a real solution". The Atlanta Constitution. p. A14. Missing or empty
|url=( help)
^ Melanie Eversley (October 7, 2001). "Congress using religious compass in decisions". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 7. Missing or empty
|url=( help)
- ^ Felicia R. Lee (August 3, 2002). "War Resisters: 'We Won't Go' To 'We Won't Pay'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
- ^ Vanden Heuvel, Katrina (January 2, 2006). "The I-Word is Gaining Ground-UPDATED". The Nation.
- ^ a b Marina Walker Guevara, "Lobbyists tag along on civil rights tour", The Center for Public Integrity, June 8, 2006.
- ^ "House Rebukes Obama for Continuing Libyan Mission Without Its Consent". The New York Times. June 4, 2011.
- ^ "H.Res.292 - Declaring that the President shall not deploy, establish, or maintain the presence of units and members of the United States Armed Forces on the ground in Libya, and for other purposes". www.congress.gov. United States Congress.
- ^ Merida, Kevin (January 21, 2001). "So Close, So Far: A Texas Democrat's Day Without Sunshine". The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
- ^ " Tens of Thousands March Against Iraq War" Lichtblau, Eric. New York Times March 16, 2003: 1.15.
- ^ "Lewis, 6 other lawmakers arrested in embassy protest": Kemper, Bob. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution May 17, 2006: p. 3.
- ^ "U.S. lawmakers arrested in Darfur protests at Sudan embassy". CNN. April 27, 2009. Retrieved April 27, 2009.
- ^ "Democratic lawmakers arrested during immigration protest - NBC Politics". Nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com. October 8, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ "'Spirit of History': House Democrats Hold Sit-In on Gun Control". NBC News. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ^ "Rep. Lewis endorses Clinton". CNN Political Ticker. October 12, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
^ Zeleny, Jeff and Patrick Healy (February 15, 2008).
"Black Leader, a Clinton Ally, Tilts to Obama". The New York Times.
Representative John Lewis said he planned to cast his vote as a superdelegate for Barack Obama in hopes of preventing a fight at the Democratic convention.
- ^ Ben Smith (February 15, 2008). "Awaiting Lewis". Politico. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
"Civil rights leader John Lewis switches to Obama". Los Angeles Times. February 28, 2008. Archived from
the original (from the Associate Press) on March 4, 2008. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
The Georgia congressman, who had previously endorsed Clinton, says he wants 'to be on the side of the people.'
- ^ "Lewis switches from Clinton to Obama". CNN Political Ticker. February 27, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- ^ Hearn, Josephine Hearn (June 4, 2008). "Black lawmakers emotional about Obama's success". Politico.com.
- ^ Hernandez, Raymond (July 1, 2008). "A New Campaign Charge: You Supported Clinton". New York Times.
- ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth (October 12, 2008). "Congressman Rebukes McCain for Recent Rallies". The New York Times.
- ^ "John McCain equal to George Wallace? Barack Obama says 'no,' and John Lewis says he's been misunderstood". October 11, 2008.
- ^ Carter, Lauren. "Rep. John Lewis reflects on the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington". The Grio. Entertainment Studios LLC. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ^ Bade, Rachael. "Democrats stage sit-in on House floor to force gun vote". Politico. Politico. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- ^ McGione, Peggy (June 28, 2016). "For Rep. John Lewis, African American Museum was a recurring dream".
- ^ Kinnard, Meg (February 13, 2016). "Rep. Lewis softens dismissal of Sanders". Burlington Free Press (online ed.). Burlington, Vermont. Associated Press. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ Temple-West, Patrick (February 15, 2016). "Hillary Clinton's secret weapon: John Lewis". Politico.com. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
^ Panzar, Javier (January 23, 2016).
"Rep. John Lewis speaks out against Trump's divisive rhetoric during L.A. visit". The Los Angeles Times.
"I've been around a while and Trump reminds me so much of a lot of the things that George Wallace said and did. I think demagogues are pretty dangerous, really [and] we shouldn't divide people, we shouldn't separate people." - Lewis
- ^ Todd, Chuck; Bronston, Sally; Rivera, Matt (January 14, 2017). "Rep. John Lewis: 'I don't see Trump as a legitimate president'". NBC News.
- ^ Nicholas Loffredo, "John Lewis, Questioning Trump's Legitimacy, Among Dems Skipping Inauguration", Newsweek, January 14, 2017.
- ^ Dawsey, Josh; Cheney, Kyle; Morin, Rebecca (January 14, 2017). "Trump rips John Lewis as Democrats boycott inauguration". Politico.
- ^ Qiu, Linda (January 15, 2017). "Trump's exaggerated claim that John Lewis' district is 'falling apart' and 'crime infested'". PolitiFact. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ Smith, David (January 14, 2017). "Donald Trump starts MLK weekend by attacking civil rights hero John Lewis". The Guardian. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
- ^ Yamiche Alcindor (January 15, 2017), "In Trump's Feud With John Lewis, Blacks Perceive a Callous Rival", The New York Times, retrieved January 16, 2017
- ^ washingtonpost.com January 15, 2017: In feud with John Lewis, Donald Trump attacked 'one of the most respected people in America'
- ^ "Trump maintains feud with Lewis: He also boycotted Bush 43". POLITICO. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ Post Editorial Board (January 18, 2017). "Trump should shrug off John Lewis' cookie-cutter insults". Editorial. New York Post. New York City. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ "Democratic congressman John Lewis rejects Trump, will skip inauguration for first time in 30 years". Global News. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ "Trump inauguration boycott grows". BBC News. 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ Jacobson, Lewis. "John Lewis wrong on whether he has skipped an inauguration". PolitiFact. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
- ^ "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ "Members". Afterschool Alliance. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "Our Members". U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ "Black Americans in Party Leadership Positions, 1977–present | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change" (review), Publishers Weekly, March 5, 2012.
- ^ Cavna, Michael (August 12, 2013). "In the graphic novel 'March,' Rep. John Lewis renders a powerful civil rights memoir". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
- ^ Lewis, John; Aydin, Andrew (August 2, 2016). "March: Book Three". Top Shelf Productions. Retrieved August 24, 2016 – via Amazon.
- ^ "U.S. Rep. John Lewis Discusses His Graphic Novel "March"". September 8, 2014.
- ^ "Best Sellers - The New York Times". Retrieved February 8, 2014.
- ^ "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970–present". American Library Association. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi (March 21, 2014). "March Book One is first graphic novel to win the RFK Book Award". Comics Beat.
- ^ "About the Book". City of East Lansing & Michigan State University. Archived from the original on January 12, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- ^ "Fall 2014 Selection". Georgia State University. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- ^ "About the Book". Marquette University, Office of Student Development. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- ^ "Paperback Graphic Books". The New York Times. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
- ^ Michael Cavna (November 17, 2016). "Rep. John Lewis's National Book Award win is a milestone moment for graphic novels". The Washington Post.
- ^ ""American Library Association announces 2017 youth media award winners"". American Library Association. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
- ^ "Carter G. Woodson Book Award and Honor Winners". Silver Spring, Maryland: National Council for the Social Studies. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ Rappaport, Michael (April 11, 2018). "'Run' Follows Award-Winning Graphic Novel 'March' in Civil-Rights Chronicle". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- ^ Daniel Malloy (December 31, 2012). "Rep. John Lewis' wife, Lillian, dies". Blogs.ajc.com. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ "President Clinton Inducted into Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity". Reuters. Archived from the original on March 15, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title ( link)
- ^ "John Lewis - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum". Retrieved December 8, 2012.
- ^ "NAACP Spingarn Medal". Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- ^ "National Winners | public service awards". Jefferson Awards.org. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ "Civil Rights Movement Pioneer to receive Dole Leadership Prize". Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas. September 26, 2007. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
- ^ Remnick, David (February 2, 2009). "The President's Hero". The New Yorker.
- ^ "Rep. John Lewis Honored as Civil Rights Champion with First LBJ Liberty and Justice for All Award". Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ Goldman, Julianna (February 15, 2011). "Obama Honors Buffett, George H.W. Bush With Medal of Freedom". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
- ^ "Secretary of the Navy Announces First Ship of Next Generation Fleet Replenishment Oilers, USNS John Lewis" United States Department of Defense Press Release, January 6, 2016
- ^ a b "Civil Rights leader Rep. John Lewis to deliver 2016 Commencement address, joining honorands Lisa Genova '92, Daniel Gilbert and Robert Witt '62". bates.edu. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
- ^ "Commencement Program, 1999". Open Archives: Digital Collections at the University of Massachusetts Boston. University of Massachusetts Boston. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
- ^ "Simmons among nine honorary degree recipients". Brown University. May 16, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ "Penn's 2012 Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients". Penn Almanac. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- ^ a b "Harvard awards seven honorary degrees". Harvard Gazette. May 24, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ "U. S. Rep. John Lewis to be Honored at Judson College". Perry County Chamber of Commerce. February 21, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ "John Lewis Receives Honorary Doctorate from CSU". Cleveland State University. December 16, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ^ "Civil rights advocate U.S. Rep. John Lewis urges graduates to "get in the way" - Union College". June 16, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ "Honorary degree recipients are leaders in education and civil rights". Emory News Center. May 7, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ^ "Speaker: Rep. John Lewis". May 20, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ "2015 Commencement Speakers Announced". The Hoya. May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
- ^ "Darren Walker, Ford Foundation President, to Speak at NYU's Commencement", NYU, March 10, 2016.
- ^ "John Lewis", Commencement, Washington University in St. Louis.
- ^ "Pardee RAND Graduate School Commencement", Pardee RAND Graduate School, June 18, 2016.
"Yale awards honorary degrees to eight individuals for their achievements". Yale News. Yale University. May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
From Freedom Rider to statesman, you have championed civil rights and public service for six decades. You have faced beatings, violence, and intimidation with steadfast nonviolence... Devoted champion of America and of all of its people, in recognition of a lifetime of bold action and inspiring results, we are honored to present you with this Doctor of Laws degree.
- ^ "John Lewis to receive 2016 Liberty Medal", National Constitution Center, June 2, 2016.
- ^ "John Lewis honored with the Liberty Medal", Philly.com, September 20, 2016.
- ^ Alexander, Brian (June 5, 2018). "Harvard Students Deliver Rousing Musical Tribute at 2018 Commencement Program". College A Cappella. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
- ^ "Office of the House Clerk – Electoral Statistics". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original on July 30, 2008.
- ^ "Election Results". Federal Election Commission.
- ^ "General Election -- November 6, 2012". Secretary of State of Georgia. November 21, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
- ^ "General Election -- November 4, 2014". Secretary of State of Georgia. November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- ^ "GA - Election Results". December 1, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- ^ "Young Jeezy - My President ft. Nas". YouTube. From 3'17" to 3'19" in.
- ^ Soderberg, Brandon 9February 18, 2009). "Music Video Round-Up: Young Jeezy's 'My President Is Black' & Relics of Cynicism". Slant Magazine. Accessed January 20, 2017.
Further reading
- Oral History Interview with John Lewis from Oral Histories of the American South, November 20, 1973
- Booknotes interview with Lewis on Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement, July 12, 1998
- "SNCC- People: John Lewis.", April 11, 2011
- " Congressman John R. Lewis Biography and Interview." www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
External links
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Lewis (American politician).
|Wikiquote has quotations related to: John Lewis (civil rights leader)
- Congressman John Lewis official U.S. House site
- John Lewis for Congress
- John Lewis at Curlie
- SNCC Digital Gateway: John Lewis, Documentary website created by the SNCC Legacy Project and Duke University, telling the story of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and grassroots organizing from the inside-out
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- John Lewis debates the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), June 11, 1996.
- Rep. Lewis on Congress, Gitmo, Afghan War and Charles Rangel – video interview by Democracy Now!, November 17, 2010
- Appearances on C-SPAN
|Non-profit organization positions
|Preceded by
Charles McDew
| Chair of the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
|Succeeded by
Stokely Carmichael
|U.S. House of Representatives
|Preceded by
Wyche Fowler
| Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 5th congressional district
|Party political offices
|Preceded by
David Bonior
House Democratic Senior Chief Deputy Whip
|Succeeded by
Cedric Richmond
as House Democratic Assistant Majority Whip
|U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
|Preceded by
Peter DeFazio
United States Representatives by seniority
|Succeeded by
Fred Upton
- 1940 births
- 20th-century African-American activists
- 20th-century American politicians
- 20th-century Baptists
- 21st-century American politicians
- 21st-century Baptists
- Activists for African-American civil rights
- Activists from Alabama
- African-American Christians
- African-American members of the United States House of Representatives
- African-American non-fiction writers
- African-American people in Georgia (U.S. state) politics
- American memoirists
- Anti-poverty advocates
- Baptists from Alabama
- Baptists from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Carter G. Woodson Book Award winners
- COINTELPRO targets
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- Fisk University alumni
- Freedom Riders
- Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats
- History of racial segregation in the United States
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Nonviolence advocates
- People from Troy, Alabama
- Politicians from Atlanta
- Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
- Selma to Montgomery marches
- Spingarn Medal winners
- Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
- Volunteers in Service to America administrators
- Recipients of the Four Freedoms Award


text:
Singer-songwriter and 2016 ISPA Alex Szekely Humanitarian Award recipient John Ondrasik closed this year's General Session with one thought-provoking question: "What kind of world do you want?"
The Grammy-nominated artist came in to fame when his song "Superman" became a global hit. "I think the reason why the song resonated with so many people is because it talks about how we can't be everything to everyone. In the song, Superman doesn't want to be Superman. He wants to be human, to be able to bleed, not be a superhero."
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When Daring Greatly best-selling author Brené Brown made a brave decision to talk about her own struggle with shame and vulnerability at a TEDx Talk, she had no idea her life was about to change.
Not only did her talk go viral, an incident she calls "happy accident," but being thrown into the spotlight has also made her realize that the only way to live is to live bravely.
Leadership expert Simon Sinek closed this year's General Session with a compelling challenge to the ISPA community: "Every single person in this room has the opportunity to be the leader you wished you had. So make a choice. Be the leader you wished you had."
Have you ever been part of a highly motivated, joy-filled team?
If you have, chances are that most days you were excited to come to work because you had fun collaborating and you felt like you mattered. Your focus and enthusiasm then helped you do some of your best work with your colleagues.
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text:
Send an E-mail to Dr. Ronda Chervin, Ph.D.
What you will read now is part of a series of 100 spiritual challenges. Each blog can be viewed separately, but for maximum benefit a reader needs to start with the introductory blog of November 18, 2011, and then continue step by step. Day One begins on Sunday, November 20, 2011.
[ Click here for 100 STEPS ]
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman…who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) (Note: The scripture has a different context but it fits our theme just the same.)
Dr. Ronda's examples: In trying to work better with two different groups of people, instead of giving my advice, I prayed first and asked the kind of questions that would help them to make good decisions. In another work situation I wrote a polite, non-pressuring letter to the boss of a project asking him how he wanted me to handle a sticky issue. He wrote back right away saying it was fine and I would be taken care of. This was better than writing a 2 page single spaced explanation about my side of the story ending with giving him advice about how he should handle the other party.
Your examples:
Prayer: Holy Spirit, help me to give advice and instructions with a holy spirit instead of with an "edge." Help me care more about loving relationships than getting things done my way.
Read more blog entries by Dr. Ronda by visiting RONDAVIEW. Dr. Ronda Chervin has many free e-books and audios on her website rondachervin.com. If you go to her website and read or listen and then want to correspond with her she will be available. Her schedule does not permit, however, responding to comments on the Blog, though she enjoys reading them. Dr. Ronda's newest project is spiritualityrunningtogod.com.


text:
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text:
your comments 13 part two (to add to the other)
To Rick MacInnes-Rae, the Dispatches team and all the Dispatches Correspondents:
Dear Rick,
I have intended to write to you for so many months, even before CBC announced the end of Dispatches. At that time, I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed and appreciated you as host and the show. I wanted to let you know how relieved I was when Margaret Evans went to London for I was worried about her, with her wonderful courage and poetic reports. I was, again, worried when she went to Syria and so afraid that courage would lead her to danger.
Extreme family medical situations delayed that email to you but can no longer be delayed as this is your last show and you have done it in such style and grace that I have tears....
Rick, thank you for the concept created, for the poetry and stories you have given home to and for being a host I loved hearing twice every week. May you find a new and frequent home on our air waves and may you know there are many like me who will miss you and may not have had the chance to tell you so.
With all my mind and heart, thank you.
Suzanne MacKenzie, Peachland, BC:
I am more than sorry, I am disappointed that this broadcast is finished!! Conversations have come up with friends about different subjects, and I have been surprised when I have some inside knowledge of the topic...then wondered just where I heard the information that I had just sprewed forth..then realized I had heard it on Dispatches!!
Donna Smiley, Ottawa:
To All Those Who Have Brought CBC's Dispatches To Us:
I just listened to the final episode of Dispatches. I will miss all the wonderfully insightful stories from your talented contributors.
Over the past several years, I have sent repeated emails to John Baird, until recently my MP, protesting the cut to CBC without a single response. May I suggest that those disappointed Dispatch listeners in Alberta, especially Calgary Southwest, call and write and email their MPs, to
demand restore funding to the CBC, because it seems they might be only Canadians who's opinions actually matter.
Marc Gagnon:
It baffles my mind as to why this program is being cut. I am a recent listener to CBC Radio One and Dispatches has become one of my favorite.
Too bad it will no longer air. What a mistake.
Dispatches was able to take my mind away to far away places I would never get a chance to see or bring stories I would never read anywhere else.
Marguerite Warner, Winnipeg, MB:
I am so sorry about the cancellation of Dispatches. Listening to the Sunday repeats is a favourite ritual in our household, one that is going to be deeply missed. Our two young adults, who sometimes catch up with a program on their ipods, are frequently moved by the journalists' stories, and we've had great family conversations about situations/issues covered on a Dispatches program....
Joan Newman, Calgary
Rick, thank you and your team of correspondents and technicians for bringing such enlightening, in-depth reports from the many troubled areas around the world. I can't believe that Dispatches was one of the programs cut by the CBC executive--it's the documentary programs that make CBC different from the dumbed-down morass of media. These are sad times for Canada, and for you and your team. My heart goes out to you. Please know that you have made a real difference in enlightening Canadians.
Howard Krosnick, Montreal:
I happened by chance on your final show today. I have been both saddened and infuriated by the decision to cancel the series. Over the years I have learned so much about what is happening in the world, have heard voices that I would never have heard otherwise, have learned and been moved and have become a better, more informed citizen. Dispatches is what the CBC is (has been) about and the cost of shutting it down to save a few dollars has made every Canadian poorer. We are less as a country because you are off the air.
Congratulations to each and every one of you responsible for the program. I salute you.
Alison Watt, North Vancouver:
Dear Rick and crew,
I just want to thank you for the amazing stories I have had the privilege of hearing on your program over the years. I am so sorry that this program has been cut. It is one of the best programs in all of CBC Radio. Thank you for all the work that has gone into bringing us the world. Today the world has shrunk a little (a lot) smaller for Canadians.
Jan Beattie, Indian Head SK:
It is with great sadness to have listened to the last of these very informative programs after 12 years on the air. CBC is one of Canada's treasures and the envy of world-wide listeners. Programs like this are a feather in CBC's cap & we listeners are the better off for having been gifted with all the world news we have heard over the years. CBC is my 'newspaper on the air' and little by little it is being chipped away at by the 'powers that be' and as a result we citizens are the poorer for it.
Dispatches has given us a glimpse of how life really is in parts of the world we would otherwise never have heard about. Without this kind of information we will get very myopic & unaware of the blessings we have here. With cuts like this, we will become less & less aware of the happenings in our world.
Thank you CBC for giving us Dispatches...... from now on we are the worse for the lack of the wider horizons this has brought into our lives... less aware, less humble. We are still blessed to have CBC but today is a sad day for CBC listeners.
Thomas Knutson, Saskatoon:
I was very dismayed to hear the cancelling of one of the best programs on CBC, Dispatches. For me, the power of the stories has, at times, compelled me to drop whatever I was doing to focus solely on what I was hearing. The correspondants have always treated each subject with great sensitivity, and with the utmost respect to its participants, so many of whom display great courage and tenacity in the face of oppression. Where else in Canada would we come to know such stories?
Stephanie Wells, Hornby Island, BC:
To Rick, all of you at Dispatches, and all the contributors,
I'm almost in tears listening to your final programme. Dropping Dispatches is a terrible mistake. I have worked as a journalist in southern Africa and travelled extensively in Asia and the Middle East. So many of the places and people I came to know are just not on the media agenda. Only Dispatches has paid attention to the regular people in forgotten places. I have always listened to your show, often re-listened.
I cannot thank you enough for your brilliant, touching, original and unique work. I will certainly miss you, as will many, many Canadians. I believe it's nothing short of a tragedy that Dispatches has fallen to the budget ax, what a terrible loss.
James Lithgow:
Hello Rick and crew,
Oh well, it was a good run and often enough a change is as good as a rest. Thanks for some of the best radio ever, on par with the Golden Days of As It Happens, Gzowski et al.
I'm not sure where I'll go for international coverage from a Canadian perspective in this time of the Global Village (another great show gone).
Casey Wolf, Vancouver:
I am furious that yet another great CBC program has hit the dust I do not want to listen to endless repeats of musician interviews, however much another might enjoy these. I turn on the radio to learn something, to be moved, to be informed about my world, and that right--it seems to me a right, foolish as that may be--is being lost cut by cut. I am curbing my tongue out of respect for myself and you. That your tongues are being curbed is to me very wrong.
Beth Moyer, Lethbridge, AB:
As an inveterate CBC listener, I am so sorry that Dispatches has fallen victim to the unfortunate cuts at the CBC. I have always enjoyed listening to your programme which was able to offer so much more in-depth reporting from other countries. Having lived in Tanzania, as well as some globe-trotting, the 'dispatches' from your correspondants were so meaningful. Maybe one day Dispatches will rise again, phoenix-like.
David Galloway, Whitehorse:
What a wonderful show...what a wonderful effort to create such a wonderful show. Thank you for your dedication and hard work. I have really appreciated it over the years....you guys are what CBC is all about. Thank you....all of you.
Love and Hugs
Hugh Logie, Medicine Hat, Alberta:
Rick and Colleagues:
I just finished listening to your final show, and when it was over and the last strains of that familiar theme faded, I confess that I broke down and wept.
Your program has been my ever-present companion for a very long time now, and it was one of the major reasons I found it very easy to stay loyal to CBC Radio over the years. To me, Dispatches epitomized all that was finest about the CBC and it's journalists. Your program never failed to inform, enlighten, and challenge me. In a world where it is sometimes hard to know what is truth, where misinformation is rampant and it seems that outright lies from politicians and others in authority are not just accepted but expected, you earned and kept my trust.
I've watched one of this country's greatest national institutions absorb round after round of attacks by short-sighted and small-minded governments. I've seen the blows fall, some of them devastating, and yet the CBC staggers back to its feet and soldiers on regardless. But they've lost something very important this time around, and the world just got smaller for myself and the rest of your listeners. I was at one time simply proud to be Canadian, but of late that is tempered with three elements - humility at realizing just how lucky we are in this country, shame at the way that this current government is destroying decades of fine Canadian work worldwide, and finally, anger. We don't get angry much in this country, it seems - but perhaps it's time we did. Then perhaps we can shake off our complacency and get to work making a difference in this world.
Terry Chantler, Pender Island:
Dear Rick MacInnes Rae and staff:
I'm sorry and outraged about Dispatches' cancellation, as if Canadian taxpayers can no longer afford the education on essential matters that you've provided so well for so long. Who thinks we won't continue to need that information?--only those who either don't listen to it or are devoid of empathy. Huge thanks for all the contributions you've made over the years toward helping the over-privileged understand the helpless. Without information where will compassion come from? It's frustrating to have to merely express outrage at Canada's loss of this program and at the world's consequent loss of the inestimable benefits that would otherwise have continued to arise in future years from the insights the program provides...
Yvonne A. Zarowny:
I literally wept at the beauty and sensitivity with which you did your last program. So Canadian! I look forward to your return once we get our world turned around, proper funding returned to the CBC, CBC producers "free" to pursue critical investigative reporting as well as Canadians telling their stories and those of others from here and there. Meantime, I shall work my way through the archives ... and hopefully you will be returned to air before I am finished. I know ... I dream big ... but we have to turn this world around so we will. Meantime - you folks take good care. I know whatever you move on to do, it will be with good taste, sensitivity ... and a sense of wry humour. Thanks.
Elizabeth Inkster, Tlell, Haida Gwaii, BC:
Hi Rick: Living in such an isolated place for over 40 years, CBC has informed and entertained me and my family for many years. Sadly I have observed the decline in CBC programing, the many repeats, the end of local programming. But to learn that CBC, in it's great wisdom, has cancelled Dispatches truly disappoints me.
Your show is informative, shocking and fascinating. I greatly regret it's demise. With all the misinformation out there, we really NEED programs such as yours to help us to find a connection with all the corners of the world, to feel a connection with people of varied and different backgrounds. Surely stability and peace will only come when we have some empathy with people we will never meet, and your program drew us into a better understanding of their lives.
Jack Reef, Los Angeles:
Rick (and everyone involved in Dispatches),
Fantastic program. Quintessential radio journalism.
You should be very proud.
What can I do to help save Dispatches?
Maybe it can be picked up by NPR or the BBC?
Please tell me how I can help!!!!
Kati Martini, Tofino:
A huge thank you for the years of insight and access to the world.
And my own small protest. I have been a CBC listener for over 30 years, since I discovered the spot on the dial in our student apartment in Toronto. Many miles and years later, I have enjoyed, learned from, and occasionally endured what CBC AM/1 has brought to air. Weekly installments of 'Dispatches' will be missed more than I can say, and I cannot imagine the rationale for the decision to end this program.
In-depth, insightful reporting connecting Canadians to the world -- it's been huge, and will be much missed.
Graham Punnett, Penticton:
I will always remember the haunting sound of "What It Is" coming across the room or vehicle followed by Rick's distinctive scratchy voice and his intimate intros and questions for all you correspondents around the world.
I just don't get it -- that Dispatches and Mark Kelley's Connect should be gone. Tears drift down my cheeks. Good-bye, and you will not be forgotten.
Rob Roy, Kamloops:
What's wrong with Canada!
Listening to the last radio cast of Dispatches a few minutes ago, I was filled with frustration, anger and ultimately a sense sadness and loss.
The loss, the sense of Canadians being as interested, concerned and when possible involved in the lives of others globally.
I guess just as we were once known as peacekeepers, this to must fall as we are completely enveloped by a gelatinous morass of American style pop journalism culture. The quick headline like sound bytes attempting to coerce our sensibilities into believing that they're, as the late Jack Webb would annunciate, " just the facts m'am, just the facts. "
Wendy Cameron, 83 Mile House, BC:
Hi Rick and the Dispatches Crew:
I listened to your last program this afternoon and it left me quite sad. I have been a regular listener over the years and you have entertained and educated me, and have brought me the world. I don't understand why the CBC has ended your show. I think it was one of the best on the network and I will miss you terribly. Good luck in the future.
Rosa Quintana Lillo, Vancouver:
Today, Thursday June 21st 2012 is one of the saddest days in my 30 years of listening to CBC Radio. I am so sad to hear Dispatches come to an end. Who will bring us the world? I have learned so much about the world through Dispatches that I am afraid of what will become of me. Will I become afraid of the world for I will know so much less about it without Dispatches and all your brave reporters. I thank you for educating me and making me into a more worldly person.
I often think of Mark Twain's quote "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness". Dispatches took me to places I would never be able to visit or know about and let me learn of other people's experiences and for that I am grateful.
Thank you for all your good work.
John Brennand, Langley, BC:
Hi Rick & Co.,
Goodbye and thanks for all the fish.
Somebody will have recognized the Douglas Adams quote... but it is you leaving us. My schedule has meant that I have probably missed more episodes than I have listened to but I have to say that everything I DID hear was well worth my time.
As I have family connections to both Britain and Zimbabwe I have always tried to catch episodes covering those countries. Zimbabwe is particularly terrifying these days.
The cuts to the CBC budget and the resulting programming losses are a personal bug for me (I have made sure my MP and Stephen Harper know that I am displeased), "Dispatches" and radio drama are the ones that stand out most.
Thanks for all the great radio, good luck in your next assignments.
Maki Van Dyke, Rosebud, Alberta:
Dear Rick and Dispatches Team,
Thank you for 12 years of fantastic journalism! I'm currently listening to the last broadcast and sad to see you go. The dispatches stories were intelligent, raw, and heart rending. Many times I would listen to dispatches and cry out in outrage or hold back tears. I've always appreciated the compassionate and humane treatment of horrific stories without becoming maudlin. You are to be commended and I wish everyone on the team much success in their new endeavours.
Pauline Brunton, Cawston BC:
I was saddened to listen to the final episode of Dispatches today. It is one program that I always stop to listen to on the radio. The subject matter is of interest no matter what part of the world it came from. An excellent job Rick and your team. Thumbs down to CBC for slashing it.
Bobbie Cann, Cumberland, BC:
Hello to Rick MacInnes-Rae & your wonderful team, I am so sad. My husband and I have enjoyed your show for years. It is one of our VERY favourites. I cannot tell you how shocked and disappointed we were to hear about the cancellation. It makes no sense to me. I've learned a great deal over the years because of your program. There is nothing like it, and now I wonder what you and your team will be doing, ...I will miss you. Thank YOU!
Sharon Lax, Montreal:
From what I wrote my MP:
...The program 'Dispatches' is CRITICAL to our understanding not only of the world, but to our understanding of ourselves, as Canadians, and our role in the world. This is my main concern right now. I believe that without such radio documentaries, we cannot compete with the large U.S., my other country (dual citizenship). I have worked in the US., for t.v. and radio. I can say, through experience, that alongside a mammoth country like the U.S., with the cancellation of 'Dispatches,' Canadians are losing a fundamental tool. The CBC, like the BBC, is crucial to the English speakers not only of Canada, but of the world. 'Dispatches' is the epitome of what the CBC means to Canadians here and living elsewhere."
Dan Lee, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
As an American who has access to the CBC airwaves, learning of the end of Dispatches on the opening segment of Q was very sad. We in the USA are starved for real in depth journalism with no spin. Rick Maclnnes-Rae is a great interviewer and everyone on the show did a great job. NPR doesn't have a show that comes close to Dispatches. This is a real blow to North America and the world.
Denis Salter, McGill University, Montreal:
Dear Mr MacInnes-Rae and all the staffers: Thanks for the show: it has been a constant source of instruction and delight. I just have to (had to) hear the intro' theme song / music and I became eager in anticipation of all kinds of auditory treats. I think it is wrong that, no matter how acute the budget cuts, that the CBC decided to cancel your show: it is, after all, a great way to engage with a conversation from around the world; us learning about them; them learning about us. This is (was) singular. You will be missed.
Bridget Wall, Duncan BC:
Thank you, Rick, and many correspondents around the world for your illuminating Dispatches. You have brought us knowledge, compassion, horror that requires recording, humour, international events, glimpses into the lives of people whom we will never otherwise encounter ...
The vacuum resulting from your absence on CBC will affect the lives of so many Canadians and their families throughout diasporas across the world.
I am ashamed that I have never expressed my heartfelt appreciation of your Dispatches about and from my country of Zimbabwe. You, Laura Lynch, Bruce Edwards and others have informed millions about the sad current state of Zimbabwe - and you have inspired those of us in the diaspora to work harder at supporting viable projects in Zimbabwe.
I thank you for excellent journalism, a unique kaleidoscope of the world around Canada, and thought-provoking perspectives. Shame on the people who have cut a programme that relates this country to the huge world around us.
Sadly and sincerely
Michael Linehan, Sooke, BC:
I only discovered Dispatches within the last year. A WONDERFUL program. Long enough to be informative, interesting and useful. Short enough to be able to have a wide assortment of information. You've told me so much I wouldn't have known, otherwise.
Barry Bucknell, Edmonton:
I'm sorry to see the end of this program. I spent a few years in New Zealand and Australia and this show became a bit of a touchstone. It also became clearer to me that it has been a real gift; a viewing place into the humanity of our world.
Nelson Melgar Jr, currently in London ON:
I'm going to miss Dispatches like a friend who is gone but never forgotten. Having travelled through East Africa last year I always had episodes of Dispatches on my iPod listening to it made me feel like I always had a piece of home where ever I went. I want to thank you all, your dedication to reporting is outstanding and inspirational. I will never forget all you have taught me, educated me on, and inspirited me to make a positive change in the world. Thank you for the best of CBC programming.
Sam Punnett, Toronto:
Here's to Dispatches! Absolutely one of the finest current affairs shows on radio.
I wish they'd asked me where they could have made budget cuts. I probably listen to more CBC radio than the programmers themselves. Radio is the first medium in my book. This decision is a huge "fail".
Rick MacInnes-Rae is an exceptional host bringing all the best qualities of radio (IMHO) to listeners. Dispatches has a personality I haven't found anywhere else while listening to a great range of Internet radio. The story selection and format have always been some of the most engaging listening anywhere. I know my household is going to miss Dispatches.
Nancy Reid, New Maryland, NB:
Of all the stupid things CBC management has done lately, cancelling Dispatches has to top the list. I will miss this superb program. Thanks for keeping me company all over the world, thanks for opening interesting windows on the world for me as well.
Ted Nasmith, Bradford, ON:
To Rick and to all your colleagues--whether on staff at CBC, or your many correspondents out in the world--I want to express my sincere gratitude for one of the most interesting and consistently excellent radio documentary programs anywhere. The cancellation of this of all programs can only be seen as being necessary because CBC has been put in such a position of underfunding that such shocking cuts have been reluctantly deemed the lesser evil.
Still, I can't begin to get my head around the loss of such a journalistically excellent and vitally informative show, one that has been a staple of CBC1 radio for so many years. Rick, your warm, intelligent, personality has kept me company on so many occasions when I worked late in my studio, or during its daytime slots. My partner Marian and I share a sense of grief at this latest blow to Canadian broadcasting excellence, and I know she shares my sentiments. I've since joined Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, and will do my part to oppose the slow strangulation of CBC. ...
Guy LeBlanc, Moncton:
Dear Dispatches crew,
I have traveled the world through my radio with Dispatches for may many years and you have put on a top quality show. I am very sad to see the program get cut.
Thanks for may years of great entertainement.
Michael Rachlis, Toronto:
Thank you for 11 wonderful years. You filled my Riverdale kitchen with the sounds of the world. I will miss your voice. All best to all of you at Dispatches but especially to Rick and Alan
Shayna Plaut, Vancouver:
I am so sorry that Dispatches is no longer going to have a home on CBC. As someone from the states who works internationally and was involved in Chicago Public Radio's "Wordview" -- Dispatches truely did welcome me to Canada when I arrive in August 2009.
And Rick, as a person, reconfirmed my commitment to continue building and believing in bridges between journalism and human rights.
Last October I met Rick at a conference "Can Media Halt Human Rights Abuses" in Montreal.
I had heard his voice coming out of my radio ever since I came to Canada i -- I made sure to never miss an episode of Dispatches -- but nothing prepared me for the mountain of a man I met and interacted with over those couple of days.
It was not just his size -- although you are a very large man, Rick -- it was his passion. His unmitigated, unapologetic commitment and passion to the people who crossed his path -- not just as stories, or sources or even colleagues but as PEOPLE -- people who have stories. His passion and commitment to human rights that guided not only his online radio personality but, as I noted over the conference, also his engagement with other journalism professionals, policy makers and us, the audience.
Too often we are asked to choose between passion and politics and professionalism -- particularly within the journalistic profession -- it was such a refreshing change to see another example of how to be a solid, professional journalist and a deeply commitment and dignified man of principles.
Lee Bigelow. St. John's:
This morning I was having breakfast at Blue here in downtown St. John's, Newfoundland when I noticed Jian Ghomeshi sitting at the table across from mine. First I thought, "What's he doing in town?" Then the cancellation of Dispatches came to mind and I thought I should ask him if he would give Rick a hug of thanks for me when he next saw him kicking aroud at the CBC. As well as the hug I figured I should also write a little thank-you note.
It would say how much I would miss the show and how much I had learned about the world from it. The Lost City of Z, The Fourth Part of the World, the Burnesh of the Balkan's, and so much more. Where else am I to learn of such diverse things?
Jian and his friend looked to be having a nice meal which I didn't want to disturb so I decided to send you this email instead. Rick should still ask him for the hug though. Tell him Lee said it was important.
Rob Lofstedt, Charlottetown:
This was my favourite CBC program ever.
Susan E. Forster:
To Rick M.R and the team that has informed and entertained for many years, I say a sad farewell. CBC cuts to intelligent radio programmes breaks my heart. I lay the blame at the feet of a right-wing government that fears scrutiny of its decisions in foreign affairs and, equally, an educated public. I see no light on the horizon. But thank you anyway.
Liz Tyrwhitt, Ottawa:
I have listened to your program almost from the start. And in recent years, I always looked forward to your program on Sunday evening!
Was always moved by the stories I heard. Was amazed with the variety of issues presented.
I am so sorry your program has been cut. This was one of the best on CBC!
Denise Campeau, Fredericton, NB:
I am disconsolate to be listening a final Dispatches. The stories told by your correspondents have been resonant on so many levels, bringing me into other peoples' lives and spaces over these years.
Travelling vicariously with Dispatches has always made me mindful of the privileges of being a Canadian with one eye on my homeland and the other eye cast abroad. Listening to Rick on Sunday evenings has been a powerful experience in nostalgia in me, for both travel and for home. What a loss to CBC and the Canadians who tune in...
Ray Roddick, St.John's:
Thank you Rick and crew ...Your virtual presence has been much appreciated over the years. A warm voice of reason in an insane world has gone silent. Truly sad. Good luck and good night.
Jackie, Dundas, Ontario:
Completely stunned over the Sunday night dirty dishes to hear your last broadcast! It is outrageous that a programme of such outstanding calibre, a veritable nonpareil, should vanish. The sophomoric nonsense which has overtaken our airways in many time-slots promises very little for the intellectual reach, and cosmopolitan understanding, of future listeners. Thank you to all the producers, presenters, technicians and all involved in a programme we can all be proud to have participated in, however passively. You brought me the World, and it changed my understanding of so many things.
Jim Morkin, Calgary:
It's a sad Sunday evening for me, knowing that Dispatches is off the air.
I'm a regular and have never taken the time to thank everyone for an incredible programme.
I've learned a lot and have been moved regularly by your stories.
The story about the Argentinian prisoner returning to Argentina to testify against his torturers brought me to tears. What a shame that this "window to the world" is going to be heard again.
Valerie Johnson, Victoria:
A lump came up in my throat when I heard about the cutbacks. Tears flowed when I heard the broadcast earlier this week and again just now. Could we have done anything to save the show? We should have written earlier. This program has been very close to my heart as we have personal interest in some of the stories. For example, my daughter was called to Haiti after the earthquake and worked there for six months. She has also worked in Tajikistan and Romania (so far). I assess newcomers' English and it gives me topics for conversation with my clients and makes me aware of the issues i may not want to allude to...
Ingrid Veilleux, Richmond, BC:
Dear Rick and the whole Dispatches crew,
Thank you for bringing such moving and heart-felt stories to the airwaves for so many seasons. Your show is the only one on CBC that regularly moves me to tears. You have made the world both a bigger and a smaller place for me. My world is bigger because I have been able to travel through my radio to places I may never visit and meet people in their homes. My world is smaller because these people's stories make me feel closer to them.
Lou Allison:
Congratulations on an absolutely great final show, up to the standard we have come to expect from Dispatches: th eiconic blend of soundbites, longer content and personal notes.I always particularly liked your ground-level, people-in-their-homes-and-on-the-street take on international stories. I am going to miss hearing you. I am very disppointed that an important show of your calibre is cancelled, and so much of the vapid drivel will continue to air (no names). Thank you for your interesting stories and professional delivery with good writing & good editing over the years.
Andrew Orr, Vancouver:
I just want to thank for the past 12 years. My wife Kathleen and I rarely missed a program, and of all the thoughts I could share, I choose just two.
The first is the small way that Dispatches took us back every Sunday. A dozen years ago, I was regional director for Africa for CUSO, based in Accra. We would sit down for dinner after 6:00. The sun had set, the wind had died down, the heat and humidity remained, and the relative coolness of the night had not yet arrived. The air was heavy with the stillness. As we ate, we would listen to Focus on Africa. And Kathleen would note that she could perfectly time the show the sweat trickling down the crack of her bum.
We didn't have many bum trickles listening to Dispatches, but it took us back there in spirit.
The second has to do with what your 3 correspondents had to say, and what I will miss most. Layers. Having have the great fortune to lived overseas 3 times, including twice in Africa, I appreciate the layers. There are no short stories. Things that can't possibly be connected are. And unless you spend you whole life there, you can never fathom them all. But you can only start to appreciate the richness, and also what you are missing.
Dipatches is one of the few programs that has, in a very small way, conveyed that.
Thank you
Kim Smith:
I was so sad to hear that this week was your last episode. I tried to catch your show whenever I could, this week 1 1/2 times. It was my Sunday night companion to doing tedious paper work and home office cleaning. I always enjoy hearing the "Dispatches" as it reminded me of my 3 years living and working in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War.
I always meant to write in with my story of arriving back in Riyadh from my safe haven in the south just in time for the first SCUD missile attack. From the look on the Saudi 2 TV reporter's face, to the routine of hearing air raid sirens, then listening for the Patriot missile launch and then hoping you didn't hear any other further loud crashes, to becoming involved in the "Scud Watching"- running to the high ground as soon as the air raid sirens went off to watch for the Patriot missile to take out the Scud Missile mid air and then cheer with the rest of the crowd.It was a surreal experience for sure, but small and weird compared to all the changes that have happened in the middle east since then.
I guess that is why I enjoy listening to others' stories as well, big and dramatic or small and weird. I will miss your show, but I guess I still l have some time to listen online which I will do.
Elliot Drobetsky Ph.D, Full Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal:
Dear Rick and Crew,
I only heard about the cancellation while tuning in to the very last show. I was initially shocked, then greatly saddened. I am still speechless one day later.
Best of luck to all of you. I sincerely hope to hear one day soon that Dispatches, perhaps the greatest CBC show ever, has been revived.
Air Times
|Radio One
|Thursday 1 pm, 1:30 pm NT Sunday 7 pm, 8 pm AT and 8:30 pm NT
|Sirius 137
|Friday at Midnight & 9 am, Sunday at 10 pm
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Kundali Bhagya 17th May 2018 Written Episode Update: Shrishti found in the godown
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Kundali Bhagya 17th May 2018 Written Episode, Written Update on TellyUpdates.com
Neil tells Shrishti that it was his men who told him he is some relative. Shrishti was sure she has no relation with any such bastard. Neil tells Shrishti it's his experience that only the close relations pay to goons for such cases. He mocks Shrishti for her speechlessness.
Rishab stops Sameer near a van on street. Sameer recognizes it's the same van, they say its possible Shrishti is still there. They hurry down to check near the van. Shrishti wasn't in the van but Preeta finds Shrishti's bracelet and a torn piece of cloth near the van. Karan looks into the van, they spot foot prints from within the van towards a nearby building. They look towards the single available way. Some men sat outside a building, they head to ask them. Karan spot guns in their hands and take everyone to a hiding. Rishab doesn't let Preeta hurry inside. They divide into pairs, Karan and Preeta go inside together while Rishab and Sameer move towards the other side.
Inside the godown, Preeta and Karan spot the goons. Karan pulls Preeta behind the boxes and stuffs her mouth. They take a chance to leave the spot as the goons were being instructed by another man to keep an eye on Prithvi. They finally reach a point where Shrishti had been crying and resisting the goons. Karan was furious. Rishab drags him outside and asks him to stay calm. Karan was only concerned for Preeta's tears. Sameer wonders why they don't inform the police. Rishab says police is always involved in such crimes and would never do anything. Preeta cries being helpless to help Shrishti in such a situation. Karan had gone to a side. He returns with his plan on, he says they have to wait for fifteen minutes. He has called for costumes Shrishti once ordered for a party, one of a police inspector, another of a goon, a Gabbar and Preeta as Basanti. He plans to break into the godown as inspector. Neil would tremble, and hand his gun to Rishab for help. Everyone dislike the idea and calls it nonsense. Karan asks them for their ideas. Preeta suggests about confronting them. Rishab says they have guns, they are arm-less. He says there are other options as well. He then asks Karan if they have any guns. They laugh together and make fun of each other. Sameer suggests about accepting Karan's idea. Preeta and Rishab also agree to Karan's idea. Karan teases Preeta that he has already cancelled the costume's delivery and demands Preeta to apologize to him. After Preeta has said a sorry, Karan laughs that he didn't cancel anything.
At home, Sarla and Bee ji were praying for Shrishti when Rakhi and Mahesh come home. They get worried watching the house and asks what is it about. Mahesh says Karan called Rishab, then Sameer went behind and none is attending their call. Bee ji says they have gone to find Shrishti. Sarla says they found the house in such a state and Shrishti wasn't home. They doubt Shrishti was kidnapped by Neil, corporator. Sarla cries saying she tried and stop them as Neil is a goon but none listened to them. Mahesh and Rakhi ask Sarla to call Sameer, they might require their help right now.
Sameer was changing in his costume when he gets a call from Sarla, it was Rakhi. Sameer doesn't tell them about their whereabouts. Rakhi was concerned and says she knows everything. Sameer says there is no fixed location and they are only wandering on roads. Rakhi emotionally blackmails Sameer. Sameer says they are around 10 km away from Neil Corporator's house, it's a desserted godown. He says Mahesh must be really angry, she shouldn't tell him. After the call was disconnected, Rakhi asks Mahesh to go and help the kids. She, Sarla and Mahesh leave to find Shrishti.
PRECAP: Karan comes inside as police inspector to ask Neil about that thief. Sameer signals Shrishti from a corner to stay silent. Shrishti was relieved to see them.
Update Credit to: Sona
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