Good Trouble: John Lewis’ legacy to live on

Kaye Paddyfote, News Director|July 18, 2020

“Good trouble.” This is what Rep. John Lewis would say when speaking about his early days of activism and eventually being arrested over 40 times. 

Civil rights activist, freedom rider, and politician John Lewis passed away late Friday night, July 17. He was diagnosed with stage four cancer in December of 2019. Lewis was 80 years old and died of pancreatic cancer. 

Lewis was born in Troy, Alabama, and represented the fifth district of Georgia up until his death. Throughout his life, he advocated for equality for all, especially for Black people. While attending Fisk University he led sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee.

In a statement, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi said, “Today, America mourns the loss of one of the greatest heroes of American history: Congressman John Lewis, the Conscience of the Congress.” 

John Lewis was the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and he led the march that would end up violent on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Alabama in 1965. This day in history is what is known as Bloody Sunday.

Throughout his lifetime he received a number of awards. He was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize, the John F. Kennedy Profile courage award in 2001, The National Association for the advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) Spingarn Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

The ‘Good Trouble’ film will be releasing later this month. The film follows the life of John Lewis from his early days as a young activist to later be elected as a representative of Georgia.

Many people have been sharing pictures and tweets in remembrance of the late representative from Atlanta.