W. E. B. DuBois Award Recipient - 1998

 Congressman John Lewis

Described as one of the most courageous persons the civil rights movement ever produced, Congressman John Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing personal dignity, and building what he calls "The Beloved Community."  He has displayed a sense of ethics and morality that has won him the admiration of many of his colleagues in Congress.

He was born the son of sharecroppers on February 21, 1940 outside of Troy, Alabama. Lewis grew up on his family’s farm and attended segregated public schools in Pike County, Alabama.  He olds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion and Philosophy from Fisk University; and he is a graduate of the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee.

At an early age, he developed an unwavering commitment to the civil rights movement.  For more than three decades, he has been in the vanguard of progressive social movements and the human rights struggle in the United States. As a student in Nashville, he organized sit-in demonstrations at the city’s segregated lunch counters.

Lewis helped to organize the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).  With forth arrests, he played a key role in many aspects of SNCC’s unique contributions to the civil rights struggle. In 1961, he volunteered to participate in the "Freedom Rides" to challenge segregation in interstate bus terminals. He risked his life and was beaten severely by mobs for participating in the "Freedom Rides." During the period from 1963 to 1966, he served as chairman of SNCC.

Despite his youth, Lewis was a recognized leader in the civil rights movement. By 1963, he was recognized as one of the "Big Six" leaders of the civil rights movement (Other "Big Six" members included Martin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, Whitney Young Jr., A. Philip Randolph, and Roy Wilkins).  As one of the "March on Washington" planners, he gave a keynote speech.

In 1964, Lewis coordinated SNCC efforts to organize voter registration drives and community action programs during the "Mississippi Freedom Summer." The following year, he led demonstrators in one of the most dramatic protest demonstrations, "Bloody Sunday." The attack on civil rights activists on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama led to the subsequent "Selma to Montgomery March" and the passage of the 1965 Voter Rights Act.

During his civil rights activism, he suffered physical attacks and serious injuries. Yet, he remained a devoted advocate of the philosophy of nonviolence. After leaving SNCC in 1966, he continued his civil rights work as Associate Director of the Field Foundation. He worked with the Southern Regional Council’s voter registration programs. Subsequently, he became the Director of the Voter Education Project (VEP). Under his leadership, the VEP transformed the nation’s political climate by adding nearly four million minorities to the voter rolls.

He continued his social activism throughout hie employment. He worked with the federal volunteer agency, ACTION. In 1980, he left ACTION. He became Community Affairs Director of the National Consumer Co-op Bank in Atlanta, Georgia.

Lewis experienced his first electoral success came in 1981 when he was elected to the Atlanta City Council. While serving on the City Council, he was an advocate for ethics and neighborhood preservation. In 1986, he resigned from the Council to run for Congress. He was elected as a Representative for Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District in November 1986. He has been re-elected in three different bids.

As a sixth term congressman, he has drawn much praise from political observers. In 1990, the National Journal named Lewis as one of eleven rising stars in Congress. The National Journal stated, "Few House Member, let alone those with little seniority or clout, have had such momentous experiences before coming to Washington."

Living up to expectations, he was selected as Chief Deputy Democratic Whip in 1991. He continues to serve as Whip. Lewis serves on a number of critical committees including, the Steering and Policy Committee and the Ways and Means Committee; and its Health Subcommittee. In additional, he is a member of the Congressional Urban Caucus and Congressional Committee to Support Writers and Journalists.

In 1992, he was chosen to second the nomination of Al Gore as Vice President during the 1992 Democratic National Convention. He served as President of the Americans for Democratic Action from 1993 to 1995.

As a dedicated civil rights activist and spokesperson, a political leader who is a true servant of the people, and a dedicated family man, John Lewis exemplifies the distinctive characteristics for which the W. E. B. DuBois Award was established by the Association of Social and Behavioral Scientists.  He has made a significant contribution to the African-American community.