Street roots., February 10, 2017, Page 8, Image 8

. PHOTO BY JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS
John Lewis crosses the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., with Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday on March 7,
2015.
John Lewis: From Selma to Congress
Vendors at Washington, D.C., street paper Street Sense sat down with the congressman to talk civil rights, then and now
BY JOSH MAXEY &
ANGIE WHITEHURST
Congress,” he has brought before his
colleagues ideas and legislation that seek
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R S -
to promote freedom, justice and equality
for all.
rom Selma, Ala. to the halls of
As prominent of a figure as he is, Lewis
Congress, both Democrats and
has a sense of humility. Indeed, walking
Republicans alike agree that U.S.
Representative John Lewis of Georgia has into the congressman’s office and shaking
his hand is like having the pages of a
been a monumental figure in American
history book transformed into reality. But
politics.
Since his youth, Lewis has made fighting Lewis is ever-focused on the now, and how
our actions today will shape the future of
for the equality of all Americans his
not only the United States, but the entire
mission. While a student at Fisk University
world.
in Nashville, Tenn., he organized many sit-
On Jan. 5, with a warm greeting, and
ins to desegregate lunch counters. It was
only after making sure we’d all been
during this time that he was introduced to
offered something to drink, Lewis invited
the principle and practice of non-violent
the Street Sense crew, including vendors
protest
Angie Whitehurst and Ken Martin, to ask
After roles in both the Carter
him some questions.
administration and the Atlanta City
Street Sense is Street Roots’ sister
Council, Lewis was elected to Congress in
street paper in Washington, D.C.
1987, where he has been re-elected ever
since. Often called the “conscience, of k A ¿
F
Angie W hitehurst: We have all of these
groups and organizations who advocate an
end to hunger and poverty and for more
affordable housing — some have been around
for decades. What is it that we are not doing,
that we need to do, to make it really happen?
Jo h n Lewis: Well, you need to continue to
expand what you’re doing, to become more
inclusive, pulling and working together.
You’re so right, there’s so many different' M
groups. But many of the groups have very
little cooperation, and people going in
different direction^.
AW: So you’re talking about building a
coalition?
JL: Yes. During the civil rights movement
we had a coalition. We used to call it a
coalition of conscience. We came together
so it didn’t matter if it was the National