Congressman John Lewis was the conscience of a nation. He challenged the country to live up to its ideals and to extend the blessings of liberty to all. We at the Smithsonian send our heartfelt thoughts and condolences to his family. s.si.edu/2CJ9Svh
His is an essential American story of strength, dignity, and courage. I am grateful to have known him and will continue to draw inspiration from his life and legacy. I'd like to share some of his story through @Smithsonian collections.
Lewis was born the son of sharecroppers outside of Troy, Alabama. At 18, he wrote a letter to Dr. King and joined his march. As Dr. King dubbed him, "the boy from Troy" became one of the youngest leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. 📷: Collection of @NMAAHC © 1965 Spider Martin 
In 1961, he helped organize the Freedom Rides that rode through the South to protest segregated interstate bus travel. In 2011, he spoke at our @amhistorymuseum about how he got involved in "good trouble."
In this photo from our @SmithsonianNPG, Lewis is 22, a field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Kneeling in prayer in front of a "whites only" swimming pool in Cairo, Illinois, he joins the community to challenge segregation. s.si.edu/396pLbf
At 25, Lewis risked his life on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on "Bloody Sunday." Beaten, but with an unbroken spirit, he delayed medical care so he could plead with President Johnson to intervene in Alabama. Sounds from Selma from @Folkways soundcloud.com/smithsonian-fo…
Elected to Congress in 1986, Lewis brought that same tenacity and passion for social justice to the legislative branch of government. Rep. Lewis was one of the biggest champions of building an African American museum on the National Mall. 📷: Leah L. Jones/@NMAAHC
Lewis helped keep the museum alive by introducing legislation for the museum every year until Congress enacted it in 2003. I do not know if @NMAAHC would have happened without him. I leave you with his words from the museum's opening dedication ceremony.
