ATLANTA — There’s a new plan to preserve some of Georgia’s history and keep the legacy of the late-Rep. John Lewis alive.
Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock announced that they have $600,000 in federal funding for the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation to help digitize Lewis’ “paper trail” and preserve all his notes, letters, journals, and paperwork he accumulated over the years.
“Congressman Lewis’ life-long commitment to civil rights, nonviolence, and universal human dignity remain essential to local, national, and global progress. No one’s ideas or approach to public life have had more of an impact on me than Congressman Lewis,” Ossoff said. “It’s imperative we protect and preserve Congressman Lewis’ teachings and records to help inspire future generations and to protect his legacy.”
Lewis was a member of the Atlanta City Council from 1982 through 1985 and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia’s 5th district in 1986 and served 17 terms.
He died on July 17, 2020.
One of the defining moments of Lewis’ civil rights actions was when he helped lead a group of voting advocates across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and into a bloody battle with law enforcement in 1965.
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“The night before I presided over his funeral, as I was considering what I would say, I asked myself what he may have been thinking when he crossed Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, encountering all that violence. Certainly, he was just trying to stay alive so he could live and fight another day, but somehow, by some stroke of grace mingled with human determination, he managed to cross a bridge and build a bridge to the future at the same time,” Warnock said. “He is one of Georgia’s greatest sons and he taught us all how to make ‘good trouble,” which is why I was proud to work with Senator Ossoff to secure these federal funds for the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation so that future generations may learn and benefit from the lessons of his life and his tireless work to advance democracy, equality and justice.”
Lewis was involved in organizing the 1963 March on Washington and played a key role in the civil rights movement to end legalized racial segregation in the United States.
The funding is part of this year’s bipartisan government funding package. The $595,000 package will help preserve and showcase invaluable documents and materials left by Lewis.
“Housed at the National Archives, the digitization of these materials will provide access for students, historians, academics, and individuals worldwide to study and explore Congressman Lewis’ commitment to justice and equality for all and his lifelong commitment to peace,” a news release said. “The digitization will also launch the development of a virtual center and serve as the basis of a physical space in Atlanta for leadership and professional development as well as civic engagement through the Good Trouble curriculum designed to inspire and empower young people for generations to come.”
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