To Truly Honor John Lewis
Kit O’Connor, Frankfort, KY
The Mitch McConnell Retirement Committee mourns the passing of Congressman John Lewis, a civil rights icon who fought on the front lines of the civil rights movement during the 1960s and later represented Georgia in Congress for 33 years.
To quote House.gov, John Lewis was “Often called “one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced,” He dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties, and building what he calls “The Beloved Community” in America. His dedication to the highest ethical standards and moral principles won him the admiration of many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the United States Congress.” https://johnlewis.house.gov/john-lewis/biography
As Senator Patrick Leahy said, he was a lodestar who drew us closer to our ideals.
He was an American hero who taught us to stand up and to make “Good Trouble.” As he said, “when you see something that is not right, not fair, not just- say something, do something, get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble.”
We are seeing folks carrying on his torch across our nation today- getting into good trouble, standing up against the injustices of the police, and of our current administration. In doing so they honor his memory. We must also honor his memory and demand that our senators do the same.
One immediate area in which we can do that is voting rights. As Kristen Clarke wrote in USA Today, “Mr. Lewis spent his life fighting for equal access to the vote regardless of race, which he viewed as “the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.” On Dec. 6, 2019, Lewis held the gavel as the House passed the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would establish new criteria for determining how states with histories of voting discrimination could change their voting laws.”
He presided over the House vote to restore the Voting Rights Act 227 days ago. Kentucky Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has had that legislation sitting on his desk since then. I imagine it’s in his legislation graveyard of which he’s so proud.
Mr. McConnell was one of the multitude from Washington posting tributes for John Lewis this past weekend. In his statement he said: “Our great nation’s history has only bent towards justice because great men like John Lewis took it upon themselves to help bend it.”
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but he’s right. What he said is true. But I say to Mr. McConnell, this is a lovely and absolutely meaningless tribute. If you, like us, want to honor John Lewis, then you will take up and pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act. Kristen Clarke says it perfectly: “McConnell himself has the historic opportunity to bend our history toward justice by taking action now to restore a powerful law that has provided some of the most critical voting rights protections in modern time.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/07/20/honor-john-lewis-pass-voting-rights-act-mitch-mcconnell-column/5468222002/
Mr. McConnell. We’re doing our job to honor the man you claim to honor. I urge you to do the same. Otherwise, you’re a hypocrite and you know how I feel about that.
Rest in peace, Mr. Lewis. Thank you for causing good trouble. Thank you for the lessons you imparted. I hope we do you proud as we fight on.
Kit O’Connor is a founding member of the MMRC. They live in Frankfort, KY with their spouse, Nate Orshan. Kit is a lifelong activist, advocate and educator with a focus on human rights, particularly refugee and migrant rights and LGBTQ+ rights. Besides teaching high school, they enjoy public speaking and providing workshops about a range of issues from citizen lobbying to human rights messaging. You can Follow Kit on Twitter @ KitUnbridled
