In 1986, he was elected to the | Though devastated by the assassinations of King and in 1968, Lewis continued his work to enfranchise minorities |
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During the civil rights struggle, Lewis was arrested approximately 40 times |
There, he learned about nonviolent protest and helped to organize sit-ins at segregated lunch counters.
18However, this did not make it easier for African Americans to vote in the South | " He was elected to Congress in 1986 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 |
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Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way | Lewis — the youngest speaker at the event — had to alter his speech in order to please other organizers, but still delivered a powerful oration that declared, "We all recognize the fact that if any radical social, political and economic changes are to take place in our society, the people, the masses, must bring them about |
Stated on Finding Your Roots, PBS, March 25, 2012• Lewis ran for office himself in 1981, winning a seat on the Atlanta City Council | Lewis was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington in 1963 |
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After crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the marchers were attacked by state troopers | The record clearly demonstrates numerous attempts to impede voting rights still exist, and it does not matter that those attempts are not as 'pervasive, widespread or rampant' as they were in 1965 |
Murphy had previously led a filibuster in the Senate which led to the subsequent vote.