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Congressman John Lewis, 1940-2020
Born Troy, Alabama
"When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, to do something," Congressman John Lewis (1940–2020) remarked in 2019. Born to a family of sharecroppers in Troy, Alabama, Lewis spent his life in the vanguard, making what he called "good trouble" by working tirelessly for equality and nonviolent social change. He cofounded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960, reinforcing his early dedication to combating injustice.
Lewis was one of the thirteen original Freedom Riders in 1961, an organizer of the March on Washington in 1963, and a key figure in the Selmato-Montgomery marches for voting rights in 1965. As a leader of the SNCC, he organized demonstrations to end racial segregation, and as director of the Voter Education Project, he helped secure voting rights for millions of disenfranchised African Americans. Lewis served in President Jimmy Carter's administration before making his first successful run for Congress in 1986. He held his position as the representative of Georgia's fifth congressional district from 1987 until his death.
Painted during the final year of his life, this portrait, with its unfinished look, evokes the unending struggle for justice that Lewis made his life's work
Michael Shane Neal (born 1968)
Oil on linen, 2020 |