PETITION: Rep. John Lewis For The Nobel Peace Prize

This week we were amazed to see Rep. John Lewis lead his fellow house Democrats in an old-fashioned sit-in.

petition
Image via YouTube screengrab.

John Lewis has dedicated his entire life to standing up for civil rights. He was once called:

“…one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced.”

He has also been considered the “conscience of the U.S. Congress.”

He was born in 1940 in Troy, Alabama. He grew up working on his family’s farm and attended segregated schools.

As a young man, he chose to join the Civil Rights Movement after hearing the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.. Over 50 years later and he is still fighting for civil rights.

He has been arrested over 40 times in his lifetime. He started his political career when he made the Atlanta City Council in 1981. Additionally, he has served as the U.S. Representative of Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District since 1986.

He has a B.A. in Religion and Philosophy from Fisk University and he graduated from the American Baptist Theological Seminary, both schools are in Nashville, Tennessee. He has 50 honorary degrees from some of the country’s best colleges.

He is the last survivor of the “Big Six” leaders of the Civil Rights Movement in the ’60s. The group was made up of Martin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, John Lewis, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young, Jr.

Here is what he had to say about the sit-in:

Now, there is a petition going around to give this amazing man the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. The author of the petition said:

“Threats, arrests, and beatings did not deter him from furthering those goals in a non-violent manner. As the last living member of the ‘Big Six’ of the early civil rights movement in the US, he has never lost sight of his purpose and the means to achieve it.”

“For these reasons, we ask that Rep. John Lewis be recognized for six decades of peacefully advancing the cause of equality and justice for all.”

Hi, I'm from Huntsville, AL. I'm a Liberal living in the Bible Belt, which can be quite challenging at times. I'm passionate about many issues including mental health, women's rights, gay rights, and many others. Check out my blog weneedtotalkaboutmentalhealth.com