‘Get in good trouble, necessary trouble’: Rep. John R. Lewis in his own words
Civil rights icon Rep. John R. Lewis, who devoted his life to racial justice and equity, died Friday night at 80. He revealed late last year that he was undergoing treatment for Stage IV pancreatic cancer.
Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, served in the House of Representatives since 1987, following decades of work as an organizer and activist — serving as a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, organizing the March on Washington in lockstep with Martin Luther King, Jr. and serving in the Atlanta City Council.
He was an orator unlike many others, his words galvanizing action for multiple generations. To honor his legacy, here are some of his most powerful quotes.
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
— A tweet from June 2018
“I appeal to all of you to get into this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village and hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes, until the revolution of 1776 is complete.”
— At the 1963 March on Washington
“Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.”
— From his 2017 memoir, “Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America”
“When he was killed I really felt I’d lost a part of myself.”
— On Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, from his 1998 memoir “Walking with the Wind”
“My dear friends: Your vote is precious, almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union.”
— A 2012 speech in Charlotte, North Carolina
“You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone—any person or any force—dampen, dim or diminish your light. Study the path of others to make your way easier and more abundant.”
— From his 2017 memoir, “Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America”
“We have been too quiet for too long. There comes a time when you have to say something. You have to make a little noise. You have to move your feet. This is the time.”
— At a 2016 House sit-in following the Pulse shooting in Orlando
“When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something. To do something. Our children and their children will ask us, ‘What did you do? What did you say?’ For some, this vote may be hard. But we have a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history.”
— December 2019 remarks in the House on impeachment of President Donald Trump
Contributing: The Associated Press
