Troy in Pike County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Pike County's John Lewis: National Civil Rights Icon
Courageous John Lewis: 'Conscience of Congress'
Photographed By Mark Hilton, March 7, 2021
1. Pike County's John Lewis:National Civil Rights Icon marker.
Inscription.
Pike County's John Lewis: National Civil Rights Icon. Courageous John Lewis: 'Conscience of Congress'.
Pike County's John Lewis: National Civil Rights Icon. John Lewis was born in rural Pike County on February 21, 1940 to sharecroppers during the era that African Americans in the South were subjected to segregation in education and public facilities, and prevented by legal discrimination from voting.
A bright youngster, Lewis was denied access to the public library in Troy. He attended segregated schools. He was inspired by the courageous examples of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to oppose segregation. He participated in lunch counter sit-ins while attending college in Nashville. In 1961, racist whites brutally beat Lewis and other Freedom Riders during provocative demonstrations testing compliance of the 1960 Boynton v. Virginia court decision.
Lewis was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and served as president from 1963 to 1966. At age 23, he was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
He and fellow voting-rights activist Hosea Williams were among numerous marchers severely beaten and tear-gassed on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The attack on “Bloody Sunday” led President Lyndon Johnson to push Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Courageous John Lewis: 'Conscience of Congress'. Lewis was regarded among "the Big Six” leaders during the civil rights movement era.
After settling in Atlanta, he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as associate director of the federal volunteer agency ACTION. He was serving on the Atlanta City Council when he was elected in 1986 to represent metro Atlanta in the United States House of Representatives, a position he held for more than three decades.
Lewis served in leadership roles on numerous major congressional committees. As a member of the Interior Committee, he was the chief sponsor of a 15-year effort to create the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Smithsonian-affiliated museum opened on the National Mall in 2016. During his congressional career, Lewis was widely regarded as “the conscience of the Congress.”
In 2011, President Barack Obama presented Lewis with the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. On the 50th anniversary of the Selma march in 2015, Lewis introduced the first African American president, who responded that it was “a great honor to be introduced by one of my heroes.
Lewis' biography Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement, was published in 1998.
Presented February 2-3, 2018 during John Lewis Day in Pike County
Pike County's John Lewis: National Civil Rights Icon
John Lewis was born in rural Pike County on February 21, 1940 to
sharecroppers during the era that African Americans in the South
were subjected to segregation in education and public facilities,
and prevented by legal discrimination from voting.
A bright youngster, Lewis was denied access to the public library
in Troy. He attended segregated schools. He was inspired by the
courageous examples of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
to oppose segregation. He participated in lunch counter sit-ins
while attending college in Nashville. In 1961, racist whites brutally
beat Lewis and other Freedom Riders during provocative
demonstrations testing compliance of the 1960 Boynton v. Virginia
court decision.
Lewis was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee and served as president from 1963 to 1966.
At age 23, he was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on
Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
He and fellow voting-rights activist Hosea Williams were among
numerous marchers severely beaten and tear-gassed on the Edmund
Pettus Bridge in Selma. The attack on “Bloody Sunday” led
President Lyndon Johnson to push Congress to pass the Voting
Rights Act of 1965.
Courageous John
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Lewis: 'Conscience of Congress'
Lewis was regarded among "the Big Six” leaders during the civil rights
movement era.
After settling in Atlanta, he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter
as associate director of the federal volunteer agency ACTION. He was
serving on the Atlanta City Council when he was elected in 1986 to
represent metro Atlanta in the United States House of Representatives,
a position he held for more than three decades.
Lewis served in leadership roles on numerous major congressional
committees. As a member of the Interior Committee, he was the chief
sponsor of a 15-year effort to create the National Museum of African
American History and Culture. The Smithsonian-affiliated museum opened
on the National Mall in 2016. During his congressional career, Lewis
was widely regarded as “the conscience of the Congress.”
In 2011, President Barack Obama presented Lewis with the Medal of
Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. On the 50th anniversary
of the Selma march in 2015, Lewis introduced the first African
American president, who responded that it was “a great honor to be
introduced by one of my heroes.
Lewis' biography Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement, was published in 1998.
Presented February 2-3, 2018 during John Lewis Day in Pike County
Erected
Photographed By Mark Hilton, March 7, 2021
2. Courageous John Lewis: 'Conscience of Congress' Marker
2018 by Alabama Tourism Department.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. A significant historical date for this entry is February 21, 1940.
Location. 31° 48.535′ N, 85° 57.942′ W. Marker is in Troy, Alabama, in Pike County. Marker is on Walnut Street east of Harrison Street. Located next to the Troy Public Library. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 500 E Walnut St, Troy AL 36081, United States of America. Touch for directions.
3. View of marker looking north towards the St Paul AME Church.
East Academy Street is between the marker and the church running East-West. It is not visible due to the difference in elevation of the land.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, March 7, 2021
4. View of marker towards the Troy Public Library.
Public domain, 2006
5. Representative John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 527 times since then and 123 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 7, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
