Sadly, this year Martin Luther King/Human Rights Day needs much more emphasis than any time in the recent past. Hence, I turn to one of my political heroes, John Lewis. In a 2018
interview with Vann R. Newkirk, II for the
The Atlantic's issue on Dr. King commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of his assassination, Lewis humorously noted that Dr. King, from their first meeting, always called him "The boy from Troy." In this interview, Lewis spoke opening of Dr. King's influence on him.
Lewis, of course, went on to work for and closely w/ RFK (another of my political heroes) and then have his own distinguished political career. Referring to where his lifelong mission began, he remembered that "... in 1955, at 15 years old, I heard of Dr. King, and I heard of Rosa Parks. They inspired me to get in trouble." This what John Robert Lewis, elder statesman, would call "good trouble," which is not trouble for trouble's sake. Rather, it's standing up for what is right, good, and just in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. This what Fr Gutierrez dubbed has having hope.
In the photo, a young John Lewis is on the end of the row on the right
As a young man, Lewis was asked to speak during the March on Washington. Here's his account of preparing his speech:
A true mentor does not tell you what to do. S/he simply always encourages you, urges you, and supports you in being the best version of yourself.
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