Dear Editor: “My greatest fear is that one day we may wake up and our democracy is gone.” – John Lewis
Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of the death of Congressman John Lewis. Lewis was the youngest of the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington, and the youngest speaker to speak at the podium that day. But the speech he delivered was not the same one he had been prepared to give the day before. His fellow organizers, after reading his original draft, felt it was too angry, too accusatory, and ran the risk of alienating the Kennedy Administration through criticism of the proposed Civil Rights Act. They decided that it was in the best interest of the movement to deliver a softer version, one that would encourage continued collaboration with the President and white lawmakers. One of the removed sentences has particular relevance in our current moment: “I want to know, which side is the federal government on?”
It is clear through the actions of the Trump administration, and of the Senators, Congressmen, and Supreme Court Justices who have aided and abetted his destruction of American institutions, that the federal government is not on our side. President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill represents the single largest transfer of wealth from the working class to the rich in our nation’s history, and those with the immediate power to prevent his actions have failed in their duty.
Masked agents are terrorizing American cities, and the slow gains made to benefit the lives of all are being chipped away at by those who would rather safety, respect, and dignity be a privilege afforded only to the wealthy few.
John Lewis knew that there was power in the people, in solidarity, in collective action. He also knew that the power of elites rests on shaky foundations, and that violent systems can be unmade through non-violent action. In these dark times we should look both ahead and to the past, and remember the lessons of those who came before us:
“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” – John Lewis
