From Freedom Rider to

Congressman
 John Lewis

 Often called "one of the most courageous persons the
civil rights movement ever produced," Congressman

John Lewis of Georgia has dedicated his life to protecting

human rights, securing civil liberties, and building what

he calls "The Beloved Community" in America.

 John Lewis (born into a family of Alabama sharecroppers) became
active in the Civil Rights Movement while attending Fisk University,
where he received a B.A. in religion and philosophy in 1963.  He
organized sit-ins at segregated lunch counters and took part in the
1961 Freedom Rides through the Deep South.  A member of the
Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Lewis
became its chairman in 1963.  He was an organizer of the March
on Washington in 1963, as well as one of its keynote speakers.  In
1965, on “Bloody Sunday”, he led marchers across the Pettus Bridge
in Selma Alabama, where state troopers violently attacked them.
In 1981, Lewis was elected to the Atlanta City Council and in 1986,
he was elected to the United States Congress, where he continues
to serve today.