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John Lewis: Courage in Action

Congressman John Lewis is a hero of the civil rights movement. As a boy, he was inspired by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to join nonviolent protests against segregation laws. In college, he organized sit-ins and participated in Freedom Rides. John soon became a key leader of the movement, helping to plan the 1963 March on Washington, organizing voter registration drives, and leading the march in Selma, Alabama, that ended in the Bloody Sunday attack by Alabama state troopers; this event became a turning point in the civil rights movement. In 1986, John was elected to Congress, where he has served for more than 30 years, continuing to fight for human rights and civil liberties.