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John Lewis is not any extra. He would have died a damaged man — for the character of the present United States (US) administration led by Donald Trump is, in so some ways, the other of all that Lewis stood for. But he would even have died a hopeful man — for the protests which have engulfed the US after George Floyd’s brutal killing by the police have introduced again to centre-stage the problems of racial equality, non-discrimination, dignity, authorized reforms, and political rights that Lewis fought for. Indeed, it was as a result of males like him fought that in the present day’s protests have even turn out to be doable.
Lewis was a US civil rights hero, who within the 1950s and 60s led and took part within the motion in opposition to segregation and for equality. In the US South, he was among the many authentic freedom riders who challenged segregated inter-state journey. In Selma, he marched for equal voting rights — and was brutally crushed by state authorities. In Washington, the place Martin Luther King Jr delivered his historic tackle on the Lincoln Memorial, Lewis spoke out in opposition to racism. And within the US Congress, the place he was a member for near 25 years, he grew to become a voice of conscience.
It is males like Lewis who ensured that the US overcame one of its most shameful legacies of institutionalised racial discrimination. And on this, together with King, he was impressed by the Gandhian path of non-violent resistance. This braveness of conviction — to problem probably the most oppressive of constructions by means of peaceable and democratic strategies — is a lesson to all social justice actions internationally. This persistence — he stated it was vital to not be afraid of making noise and moving into good hassle, crucial hassle — is a lesson that talking up in opposition to mistaken and retaining an moral core is integral to progress. For all those that need to combat for a greater world, Lewis will probably be an inspiration.
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