Congressman John Lewis
Atlanta, Georgia
United States
![[John Lewis. Photo credit Associated Press 071010047430]](/sites/facinghistory.org/files/john-lewis-upstander_0.jpg)
The son of sharecroppers, Congressman John Lewis grew up on a farm in rural Georgia. While studying at Fisk University, Lewis led the desegregation of lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee; he later volunteered to join the Freedom Rides throughout the South. A speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, today Lewis represents the 5th district of Georgia in the United States House of Representatives. Speaking for Facing History and Ourselves, he used a story from his childhood as a metaphor for the challenges facing the world today.
