John Lewis and C.T. Vivian were giants of the civil rights movement and the battle for the ballot. Both men were arrested and beaten many times but never bowed down. They occupied a moment in history that some called the second battle of Reconstruction when we fought for the right to vote that was supposed to be guaranteed by the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, but that was denied in practice by repressive racist laws and violent voter suppression.
They lived to see the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, but they also lived long enough to see that victory gutted by the Supreme Court decision ending federal preclearance of changes to voting laws in states that denied blacks the right to vote. Immediately after that massive voter suppression laws were passed and are now in effect to steal elections, as has already been seen in the 2018 Georgia and Florida governors’ races. These laws could be used to steal the elections in 2020.
Pat Bryant, a civil rights leader who was in many of the demonstrations with John Lewis and with C.T. Vivian, said: “When I think of John Lewis, I think of courage. John could leave the hospital still bandaged from the last beating and get in the front line for the next demonstration.”
“When I think of C.T.,” Bryant said, “I think brilliant intellect and humor. He was courageous, brilliant and had a wonderful sense of humor and kept you laughing.”
Now, we need their courage, intellect and humor, to carry on where they left off. All that they gained is now under attack. It is up to us to pick up the banner and carry on.
Rest in peace John Lewis and C.T. Vivian. We will carry on.
Ted Quant is a long-time civil rights activist in New Orleans.
