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Rest In Power, Rep. John Lewis From a young boy sharing sermons with his family’s chickens in Alabama, to freedom rides and sit-ins during the Civil Rights movement, to becoming the face of political resistance as the US representative for Georgia's 5th Congressional District for more than three decades, John Lewis will always be remembered as “the conscience of the United States Congress”. Lewis dedicated his life to the fight for freedom, equality and basic human rights, demanding an end to systemic racism in this country. He was the Chair of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and one of the last survivors of the “Big Six” civil rights activists who organized the 1963 March on Washington, speaking shortly before Rev. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Lewis is perhaps most famously remembered for leading the historic March on Selma to Montgomery, Alabama on March 7, 1965, where he was brutally attacked by state troopers after reaching the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Images from that "Bloody Sunday" shocked the nation and galvanized support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. In the 1970’s, Lewis spent seven years as the Director of the Voter Education Program, where, during his time working there, over four million minorities were registered to vote. After being elected into Congress in 1986, Lewis gained the respect of all those around him and was revered among his Democratic colleagues, even though his liberal positions meant he often lost policy battles. Lewis was awarded more than 50 honorary degrees in his lifetime, including the Profile in Courage Award, a lifetime achievement award that has been given out only twice; the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP; and the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2011. In recent years, Lewis became one of the most vocal opponents of Donald Trump even before he took office, and boycotted his inauguration, questioning the new president’s legitimacy. After almost a year of fighting pancreatic cancer, Lewis lost his battle on July 17, 2020. Prior to his passing, by his count, Lewis estimates being arrested over 40 times while demonstrating against racial and social injustice - the most recent being in 2013 at an immigration reform rally and March on Washington. We honor you, Rep. John Lewis, and your lifelong commitment to the fight for justice for all. Your legacy will live on through the ages. Our NAACP Seattle King County President, Carolyn Riley-Payne, says: "On July 17, 2020, John Lewis the icon, a great hero left us to make the change he lived and gave his life for. We are a better world because when he saw something wrong, he spoke up. He told us 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. He was our bridge on troubled water. We owe what we are today because he was... Now let's HONOR HIM IN THE WAY THAT IS MEANINGFUL - GET OUT THE VOTE! NOW MORE THAN EVER." |
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Help our Community Businesses in Seattle/King County! Think of our Black-owned businesses, featured this week: Executive Cleaning LLC https://www.eclsea.com/ (425) 533-4203 3642 33rd Ave S Seattle WA United States 98144 Tues-Sat 9am-7pm (closed Sun-Mon) Family owned by a mother and son duo. They serve King County and beyond, give them a call for your commercial cleaning needs! |
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2020 Census still on, still crucial!
Although some dates and deadlines have been pushed back, don’t delay on completing your #2020census!
It has never been easier to self-respond on your own – whether online, over the phone, or by mail – without ever having to meet a census taker. Everyone should have received their census mail over the weekend. Please complete and send in, while it’s fresh on your mind! How we respond to the Census will affect our services and resources! Please check your mail!
It has never been easier to self-respond on your own – whether online, over the phone, or by mail – without ever having to meet a census taker. Everyone should have received their census mail over the weekend. Please complete and send in, while it’s fresh on your mind! How we respond to the Census will affect our services and resources! Please check your mail!
Join/Renew your membership today!Join us as we work towards a just and equitable society. Your Seattle King County NAACP membership is more than a contribution. You are joining the team that has been on the forefront of civil and human rights battles in the Pacific Northwest for more than 104 years. Corporate Memberships Now Available! |
Featured News:For more NAACP in the news, click here!
July 13, 2020
Seattle NAACP holds mental health event amid stressful times KUOW News "The pop-up event featured free Covid testing and it offered up to 60 Zoom sessions with a therapist. 'This period in time is having an effect on our mental and emotional well-being. I know that I have felt the trauma' from black and brown communities being impacted at higher rates of police brutality and the effects of Covid-19, says NAACP Executive Committee member Teri Rogers Kemp, an event organizer. https://www.kuow.org/stories/blog-ongoing-protests-for-racial-justice-in-the-seattle-area |
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