Honoring the Life of Congressman John Lewis, a Civil Rights Icon
Washington, DC — July 18, 2020 — The March on Washington Film Festival (MOWFF) is deeply saddened by the passing of Congressman John Lewis. Our condolences rest with his family at this time of grief and we mourn with the country the loss of a national treasure who dedicated his life to civil rights.
The Festival was in fact inspired by Congressman John Lewis. It was on a Spring Pilgrimage to Alabama that our founder, accompanying the Congressman and struck by his devotion to lifting up the “battle soldiers” of the movement, was encouraged to begin telling the stories which became over time the March on Washington Festival. Congressman Lewis’ humility, and reminder to lift up the stories of ordinary men and women whose commitment to “good trouble” brought us closer to freedom, lives on in our Festival today.
Lewis was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington and the last living member of the Big Six, leaders of the six prominent civil rights organizations who were instrumental in organizing the historical event. At the march, he urged over 250,000 protestors to “get into this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village and hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes, until the revolution of 1776 is complete.” Since then, Lewis has led the charge and influenced some of our nation’s greatest movements of the past century, from voting rights to racial justice.
His legacy of resilience, faith and activism is a reminder that the fight for justice is a journey and there are many lessons to be learned from his life. The state of America in 1963 and the many known and untold stories of that time are critical to understanding the state of America today. MOWFF’s mission is to uplift and pass on that knowledge and history through storytelling in order to inspire others to take up the mantle, like Lewis did, as the fight for justice continues.
Congressman Lewis accepted our request to honor him with the March on Washington Film Festival’s 2020 Lifetime Legacy Award. The award will be named in his honor at our annual gala on September 21st. His years of support of MOWFF and his unyielding commitment to civil rights is unparalleled. Through films, discussions, and conversations, the 2020 March on Washington Film Festival, now in its eighth year, is dedicated to honoring Lewis’ lifelong servitude to our nation and democracy. We will continue to march on in his memory.