By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Political Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
D.C. leaders gathered at the John A. Wilson Building on the evening of July 17 to celebrate the John Lewis National Day of Commemoration and Action. Lewis, who died on July 17, 2020, was well known for his persistent work as an American civil rights leader and legislator.
“We have to be careful that we don’t lose the history. We know that there is a systematic attempt to erase the history,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), during the live-streamed ceremony. “We have to make sure that our children, our new activists, our voting educators are reminding everyone of the remarkable life of John Lewis.”
Lewis was largely known for leading the Selma March in 1965 on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. The significant event of the civil rights movement was abruptly ended by police violence, which included tear gassing and assaulting unarmed marchers with billy clubs.
“At 23, he became the youngest speaker at the March on Washington. At 25 he was on the Edmund Pettus Bridge,” said Barbara Arnwine, president of the Transformative Justice Coalition. “He didn’t need a doctor’s degree. He didn’t need a law degree. What he needed, as everybody has mentioned, was God-given courage. Afterward, what happened? The president of the United States introduced the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and it passed! For fifty years John Lewis, for the remainder of his life, was a champion of voting rights.”
“He was a dear friend of mine and the last time I saw him it was in the halls of Congress where we had just passed the then-called Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 in December of that year,” said Arnwine. “He gave me a hug and when I felt him I knew something was wrong. I said Lord, protect our brother. We are standing here today not just to celebrate, but we’re standing here today because we know his legacy and we are saying to his spirit, ‘we’re going to finish the job.’”
Bowser uplifted the importance of voting in this year’s election, what’s at stake and the ongoing call for D.C.’s statehood. The call for D.C. to be recognized as a state is partly to ensure adequate representation in Congress for the more than 678,000 District residents and reduce Congress’ legislative authority over the D.C. Council.
“What John Lewis fought for, what so many people fought for, we know is on the ballot this year. On Nov. 5, Americans will go – all the states, all of the territories and of course the best city in the world – and cast our ballots for, I believe, how we will save our democracy and our right to vote,” said Bowser. “We are especially concerned in Washington, D.C. We want to ensure our already limited autonomy is not further trampled on.”