Fiscal Note
No appropriation required.
Title
Honoring the life and legacy of Georgia Congressman John Lewis.
Body
WHEREAS, Georgia Congressman John Lewis passed away on July 17th, 2020, at the age of 80; and
WHEREAS, Congressman John Lewis was born in 1940 as the son of sharecroppers and attended segregated schools as a child in Alabama; and,
WHEREAS, Congressman John Lewis served as a Democratic member of the House of Representatives from the State of Georgia for over 30 years; and,
WHEREAS, Congressman John Lewis was referred to as the “moral compass of Congress” by his colleagues in the House of Representatives; and,
WHEREAS, Congressman John Lewis served as a role model for generations of civil rights activists and Black lawmakers; and,
WHEREAS, Congressman John Lewis dedicated his life to the fight for civil rights and racial justice, enduring brutal beatings and over 40 arrests; and,
WHEREAS, as a young man, John Lewis became a Freedom Rider, protesting the segregated interstate bus service by riding at the front of the busses; and,
WHEREAS, while a student at Fisk University, John Lewis organized sit-ins at segregated lunch counters; and,
WHEREAS, Congressman Lewis served as the Chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee from 1963-1966; and,
WHEREAS, at the age of 23, John Lewis was an organizer and keynote speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, in recognition of his dedication to the Civil Rights struggle, significant at that young age; and,
WHEREAS, Congressman Lewis was beaten so badly by Alabama State Troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma during the March from Selma to Montgomery, which came to be known as "Bloody Sunday" in 1965 that he required hospitalization; and,
WHEREAS, Congressman Lewis was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2010; and,
WHEREAS, Congressman Lewis shard his story as co-author of the graphic novel series MARCH, providing inspiration to Americans of all ages,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Madison will continue the legacy of Congressman John Lewis by ensuring equity in access to voting for all eligible people of color
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Madison will continue to cause “Good Trouble” in ensuring that everyone will have the opportunity to thrive in the City of Madison and across the United States of America; and,
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the City of Madison Common Council honors the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis, an icon of the civil Rights movement and an American hero.
SOURCES: <<https://www.npr.org/2020/07/18/892630970/in-tributes-john-lewis-remembered-as-an-american-hero>>; <https://johnlewis.house.gov/john-lewis/biography>