John Lewis, Part 6: The Conscience of Congress
John Lewis served Georgia’s 5th Congressional District for 17 distinguished terms, from 1987 until his passing in 2020. He was the second Black American to be elected to Congress from Georgia since Reconstruction and the only former major civil rights leader to continue his fight for justice in the halls of Congress. Despite representing the most Democratic district in Georgia and being among the most liberal members of Congress, Lewis was known for bridging political divides. Since his first sit-in in Nashville, his overarching goal was to create a “beloved community” rooted in equity and inclusion. “It begins inside your own heart and mind, because the battleground of human transformation is really, more than any other thing, the struggle within the human consciousness to believe and accept what is true… to truly revolutionize our society, we must first revolutionize ourselves. We must be the change we seek if we are to effectively demand transformation from others.” Until the end, John