Legacy and leadership inspires one man's goal for better future
On the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, we remember the freedom fighters who were beaten and bloodied as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge to demand voting rights for African Americans.
Today, as I do every year on this day, I think about one freedom fighter in particular: my former boss and hero, John Lewis. Throughout his life, Congressman Lewis fought for freedom, justice, and dignity in all their forms. And as an intern in his office, I witnessed his fighting spirit up-close. Although Congressman Lewis is no longer on the frontlines with us, these fights continue, and new leaders have answered his call. I am grateful to have worked for one of them: Vice President Kamala Harris, whose Sunday trip to Selma will remind us all that we cannot give up the fight for voting rights.
Growing up in Atlanta brought the rich history of the Civil Rights Movement to life for me. Whether it was visiting the King Center or driving past Ebenezer Baptist Church, I saw that history all around me. Perhaps my most consequential lesson came in fifth grade during a Costco trip with my mom. As we walked around the store, my mom suddenly stopped in her tracks. I could tell she had her gaze fixed on an older-looking, bald Black man. When the moment was right, she whispered in my ear, “See that man right there? Go up to him, shake his hand, and thank him for everything that he’s done for you.” I had no idea at the time, but that older-looking, bald Black man was John Lewis. And it wasn’t until I visited his office a few months later — when he showed me the scar on his head from Bloody Sunday — that I began to fully appreciate all that he had done for me.
Interning for Congressman Lewis eight years later was therefore a full-circle moment for me. Although it had been many years since he stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge or on the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial, Congressman Lewis’s fighting spirit had not diminished in the slightest. During the summer I spent in his office, he led a historic sit-in on the floor of the United States House of Representatives to demand that his colleagues enact gun control legislation in the wake of a devastating mass shooting. I got emotional sitting in the House gallery as Congressman Lewis joined with Congresswoman Terri Sewell and others in singing, “We Shall Overcome.” When he died four years later, I indeed wondered if we would ever overcome the deep division and injustices that threatened to tear our nation apart — especially without a leader like John Lewis with us in the fight.
Fortunately, just months after we lost a leader in Congressman Lewis, our nation gained one of the fiercest fighters for fundamental rights and freedoms: Vice President Kamala Harris. As one of her speechwriters, I supported her as she used her platform to speak out on issues that many previous vice presidents failed to give the priority they deserve. While today’s focus is on voting rights, Vice President Harris has provided leadership in so many fights — yes, the fight for voting rights, but also the fights for reproductive freedom, maternal health, climate action, public safety, equitable access to capital, and the right of all students to learn our nation’s true history. On voting rights in particular, the Vice President just announced a new strategy to increase access to the ballot box. Until Republicans in Congress agree to consider voting rights legislation, Vice President Harris will continue to lead the charge in protecting and strengthening the freedom to vote.
While it has been fifty-nine years since John Lewis got into some "good trouble" on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, we know that the underlying fight of Bloody Sunday is far from over. Congressman Lewis reminded us of this very fact when he wrote, “Freedom is not a state; it is an act… Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society."
Inspired by the legacy of Congressman Lewis and the ongoing leadership of Vice President Harris, I will use today as an opportunity to recommit myself to the action that I must take to create a fairer, more just nation — for my generation and for the ones to come.
Gevin Reynolds is a contributor to The Root and a former speechwriter to Vice President Kamala Harris. Follow him on X at @GevinReynolds.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Legacy and leadership inspires one man's goal for better future
