Greater Portland NOW

National Organization for Women

Advocating for Women & Girls

Donate Join NOW

  • About
  • Issues
    • NOW Priority Issues
  • Get Involved
    • Join
    • Donate
  • News
  • Events
  • Endorsements
    • 2018 Endorsements
    • 2017 Endorsements
    • 2016 Endorsements

July 18, 2020 by NOW National

NOW Celebrates the Life of John Lewis — And We Pledge to Honor His Legacy

Released on July 18, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At Congressman John Lewis’s last appearance in Selma, Alabama to commemorate the historic 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge—where state troopers launched a vicious attack on peaceful demonstrators that left him with a fractured skull,–– he returned to a message that he advocated for throughout his life, the power of the right to vote. 

Already diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, John Lewis looked back on that day and said, “We were beaten, we were tear-gassed.  I thought I was going to die on this bridge.  But somehow and some way, God almighty helped me here.” 

“I’m not going to give up.  I’m not going to give in…We must go out and vote like we’ve never, ever voted before.  We must use the vote as a nonviolent instrument or tool to redeem the soul of America.” 

As we enter an election season where voter suppression is increasingly used as a tool of white supremacy, bigotry, and prejudice, we draw inspiration from John Lewis’s life, and motivation from his tireless faith in the power of the people to defeat injustice. This November we will mobilize and vote as our lives depend on it, making “good trouble.” 

NOW joins the call for the Edmund Pettus Bridge to be renamed in honor of John Lewis, and we also call on Congress to govern under the guidance of his principles and his example.  

Our activists are dedicated to following in his footsteps – making sure we continue to advocate against racial injustice. We will work for a “real” civil rights act that goes beyond necessary police and law enforcement reforms and makes reparations that lead to racial and economic justice by supporting schools, job opportunities, access to housing and health care and so much more.  

The legacy of John Lewis will never be forgotten – may he rest in power.  

Contact: Press Team, press@now.org,

About NOW National

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Get Greater Portland NOW Updates

Sign up here to receive updates from Greater Portland NOW!

Subscribe

Take Action

Attend an Event

Become a Greater Portland NOW Member

Learn More

Oregon NOW

Greater Portland NOW is the state chapter of the National Organization for Women. We work on behalf of NOW members in the Greater Portland area to achieve equality for all women and girls and to amplify the work of justice-seeking organizations.

Learn more about us.

Contact

Mailing Address
Greater Portland NOW
PO Box 951
Clackamas, OR 97015

E-Mail
greaterportlandnow@gmail.com

Social

  • Facebook

Handcrafted with by Mapped Digital. NOW Chapter Websites Reinvented.