The first life-sized sculpture honoring Representative John Lewis has been unveiled in Alabama. The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) showcased the new display on Nov. 12 at Legacy Plaza in Montgomery, across from the Legacy Museum.
The statue, Steadfast Stride Toward Justice, joins the sculptures of Rosa Parks and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and becomes part of the collection at Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Sites.
“John Lewis inspired so many of us to do the justice work we do today," said Bryan Stevenson, Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, in a press release. "His humility, dedication and commitment to fighting for people who are excluded and disfavored is a model and legacy urgently needed today. We are thrilled to honor his life and leadership at Legacy Plaza."
Representative Lewis was just 25 years of age when he led 600 people across the Edmund Pettus Bridge as they attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery on March 7, 1965, a date that became known as "Bloody Sunday." The march followed the tragic murder of Jimme Lee Jackson, another civil rights activist, by state troopers after a march in Marion, Alabama, two weeks earlier.
Representative Lewis was a young hero of the civil rights movement, a freedom rider who was brutally beaten in Alabama during the Freedom Rides and the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington.
Representative Lewis and leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) organized the Selma to Montgomery march to challenge the lack of voting rights for Black people in Alabama.
Representative Lewis stood at the front when uniformed law enforcement officers and state troopers violently attacked the marchers with whips and clubs, brutally beating scores of people who peacefully tried to get to Montgomery. Just over a week later, the march was reorganized for a third time with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was joined by thousands of people from across the country.
The historic entry into Montgomery from Selma by Representative Lewis and marchers ultimately resulted in passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which dramatically shifted political power throughout most of the South.
Born just outside of Montgomery in Troy, Alabama, Representative Lewis would go on to become a U.S. Congressman where his steadfast calls for human rights and justice for all earned him a legendary status we now celebrate at Legacy Plaza.
More details on the new John Lewis statue can be found here. Additionally, more information on the EJI can be found on its website.
