The Hill Op-ed: Two Rare Moments With John Lewis

Note: This op-ed originally appeared in The Hill and was written by John Prendergast, Co-Founder of The Sentry.

From the time he was a young man in the 1960s, John Lewis consistently put his life on the line in pursuit of racial justice. During his extraordinary career in public service, he lent his name and commitment to numerous causes, all in the pursuit of civil rights and human dignity in our world.

Lewis was a giant among activists revered for his incredible commitment to justice and equality. He often spoke about getting into “good trouble” and “necessary trouble” by setting this ethos into practice into his work, serving as a role model for those of us who admired him. He showed us how to approach activism to effect change with discipline and grace.

By all accounts, in nearly every situation with Lewis, those in his presence left a little richer with knowledge. I had the opportunity to experience this two times. The first story took place in 2009, after the Sudan government expelled more than one dozen aid agencies from Darfur, which had been torn apart by the genocidal military campaigns of the regime for years…

Click here to read the full op-ed.