Friend,
"Don’t despair. Keep the faith." These were the words Congressman John Lewis shared with me as we sat together on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
The loss of such a great man and incredible leader is heartbreaking, particularly during these turbulent times when strong moral voices are in desperate need. However, I will not despair, and I will always keep the faith.
We all must keep the faith. That's what John Lewis would want us to do.
Fifty-five years ago, John Lewis joined community leaders, activists, and disenfranchised people from all across America to march from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights. As they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, state troopers and deputized posse members attacked the unarmed protesters with billy clubs and tear gas.
"I thought I was going to die on this bridge. But somehow and some way, God almighty helped me here," Congressman Lewis said of that day.
The outrage of the violence sparked protests nationwide, forcing Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act into law -- a landmark bill that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. But in 2013, the Supreme Court gutted the VRA, and voter suppression laws have become more and more prevalent.
That Bloody Sunday, John Lewis did not suffer a fractured skull in vain. He was at that march for one thing: to fight for the equal right to vote.
As we grapple with the loss of a true American hero, we must not let him down. His dedication and faith to America and its foundation gives us a clear pathway to how we must act to honor his legacy -- we must continue the fight for equality and protect the right to vote.
Sign the petition: Tell the Senate to honor John Lewis's legacy by strengthening the Voting Rights Act with the Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Thank you, team. Together, let us make Congressman Lewis proud.
Keep the faith,
Antonio
