III 

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 MontVerDate Mar 15 2010 20:00 Jun 14, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR170.IS SR170

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•SRES 170 IS 

gomery 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 


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•SRES 170 IS 

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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) commends Congressman John Lewis of 

3 Georgia on the 50th anniversary of his chairmanship 

4 of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; 

5 and 

6 (2) commemorates his legacy of tirelessly work7 ing to secure civil liberties for all, thereby building 

8 and ensuring a more perfect Union. 

Æ 


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