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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 170 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 170

Commemorating John Lewis on the 50th anniversary of his chairmanship of 
             the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 13, 2013

 Mr. Isakson submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Commemorating John Lewis on the 50th anniversary of his chairmanship of 
             the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Whereas Congressman John Robert Lewis was born on February 21, 1940, outside of 
        Troy, Alabama, to parents Eddie and Willie Mae (Carter) Lewis;
Whereas John Lewis has devoted his life to safeguarding human rights, protecting 
        civil liberties, and building what he calls ``the Beloved Community'' in 
        the United States;
Whereas John Lewis grew up on a farm in a family of sharecroppers and attended 
        segregated public schools in Pike County, Alabama;
Whereas, drawing inspiration at an early age from the dedication and bravery 
        demonstrated through the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Reverend Martin 
        Luther King, Jr., John Lewis joined the movement to secure the basic 
        equal rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States;
Whereas, while studying at Fisk University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts 
        in Religion and Philosophy, John Lewis led the charge by unifying and 
        organizing volunteers for sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch 
        counters in Nashville, Tennessee;
Whereas, in 1961, John Lewis showed his bravery and dedication while 
        participating in Freedom Rides, challenging segregation at interstate 
        bus terminals throughout the South, subjecting himself to being beaten 
        by an angry mob, and even being arrested for peacefully confronting the 
        injustice of Jim Crow segregation in the South;
Whereas, from 1963 to 1966, at a pivotal point in the Civil Rights Movement, 
        John Lewis was named Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating 
        Committee, which he helped found, orchestrating student activism in the 
        Movement, including sit-ins, voter registration drives, community action 
        programs, and other activities;
Whereas, at the young age of 23, John Lewis achieved national recognition and 
        respect as 1 of the ``Big Six'' leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, 
        both planning and speaking at the historic March on Washington in August 
        1963, along with fellow leaders and friends such as Martin Luther King, 
        Jr.;
Whereas, along with many others, John Lewis demonstrated great courage by 
        risking his life and casting light on the senseless cruelty of the time 
        when he was brutally attacked while leading over 600 peaceful orderly 
        protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, to 
        demonstrate the need for voting rights, on March 7, 1965, which later 
        became known as ``Bloody Sunday'', expediting the passage of the Voting 
        Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1971 note; Public Law 89-110);
Whereas, in 1968, John Lewis portrayed wisdom in balancing his advocacy with 
        family, taking Lillian Miles Lewis as his wife and later raising their 
        son, John Miles Lewis, together;
Whereas John Lewis was elected in 1986 to serve as the United States 
        Representative for Georgia's Fifth Congressional District and has 
        capably and effectively served his constituency since then, serving as 
        Chief Deputy Whip for the House Democratic caucus; and
Whereas John Lewis's unwavering ethical and moral principles have garnered 
        admiration and respect from his colleagues on both sides of the aisle: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends Congressman John Lewis of Georgia on the 50th 
        anniversary of his chairmanship of the Student Nonviolent 
        Coordinating Committee; and
            (2) commemorates his legacy of tirelessly working to secure 
        civil liberties for all, thereby building and ensuring a more 
        perfect Union.
                                 <all>
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