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Opinions and advice from our wonderful 50501 DC community!
Condemning Political Violence
The September 10, 2025 murder of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, marks another grim milestone in the rising tide of political violence across the United States. Kirk was fatally shot at 150+ yards while speaking to an audience of roughly 3,000 at Utah Valley University. Although law enforcement later recovered a high-powered bolt-action rifle and a shoe impression,
John Lewis, Part 7: Memorializing John Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020)
John Lewis taught us – and his legacy continues to teach us – about using our voice to mobilize support for those in harm’s way, about responding bravely and with conviction in the face of injustice, and about integrity, remaining steadfastly peaceful and nonviolent while fighting for a cause. Whether as the (grand)son of sharecroppers on a cotton farm in
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
John Lewis, Part 5: August 28, 1963, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
The 250,000-person March on Washington was a resounding success, so most critics fell silent after the event. All the more reason to identify and reflect on the opposition that tested the moral courage and steely conviction required to pull off such a risky venture during such a volatile time in U.S. history. Leading up to the March, President Kennedy was
John Lewis, Part 4: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
Founded in 1960, SNCC focused on empowering young people, primarily Black college students, in nonviolent direct-action against Jim Crow segregation and racial inequality in the South. During Lewis’s tenure as Chairman, 1963-1966, SNCC led or collaborated on numerous campaigns and actions, including: March on Washington (1963): 23-year-old Lewis was the youngest organizer of the 250,000-person March on Washington for Jobs
John Lewis, Part 3: The 1961 Freedom Rides
On May 4, 1961, 13 passengers – including 21-year-old seminary student John Lewis – boarded two buses in Washington, DC, bound for New Orleans. Their goal? Challenge and expose state laws that continued to enforce segregation on buses and in bus terminals despite the 1960 Boynton v. Virginia U.S. Supreme Court ruling prohibiting the segregation of interstate travel. This was