Sunday Morning Post (V.2, #28): John Lewis

The American civil rights movement got some bad news this week with seemingly federal troops descending on protestors in Portland and the death of U.S. Representative John Lewis.  The Portland incident is being seen as the President’s law and order stance in action.  Lewis’ death is a blow to be sure, but this is only a moment to say farewell and not give up the game he played for so long.

The President has warned Democrat only mayors that he would take over their cities if they could not control the streets.  His idea of control — if we are to account for the federal actions in Portland — seems to be reminiscent of authoritarian regimes restoring order in other countries.  Czechoslovakia, 1968 anyone?

Now the President’s regime (let’s not fool ourselves that it is simply an administration anymore) is shocked, simply shocked, that the protestors would react to the violence visited upon them with, wait for it, more violent counter-protesting.  In layman’s terms, rioting has not been squelched. In retrospect Lewis’ passing could not come at a more inconvenient time.

Lewis was a veteran of such demonstrations.  I don’t recall that he ever served in the military, but he was a soldier on the front lines of American streets.  He suffered a concussion at the hands of Alabama state troopers in Selma and was arrested numerous times.  Lewis continued the fight later as a representative to Georgia’s 5th Congressional District comprised of mostly Georgia’s state capitol, Atlanta.  So much for the hard-historical data common to obituaries.

My first thought when I heard about Lewis’ passing was, “Why now, Lord?  Why now?”  We need his voice now more than ever.  Then I realized that this was a knee-jerk reaction to liberal angst.

The whole point to Lewis’ lifelong work was simply this:  he was a human being the same as the rest of us.  Like the rest of us he played his part in the vast human drama and graciously exited the stage when forces greater than us determined that his part was completed.  It’s selfish not to let him go now.

We won’t hear his voice again, but thousands of other voices have risen up this summer to take his place.  These voices are younger, more energetic than any surviving Freedom Fighters.  Their motive — social and justice equality — is still pure.  On the other hand, they have much to learn in navigating the complexities of enacting social change.

This is not just their battle.  This is our battle.

John Lewis’ voice is now silent, but his leadership will continue the fight.

(Thank you reading.  R.I.P. John Lewis)