Our nation owes a great debt to a small, soft-spoken man of great courage, Congressman John Lewis. Over the course of 60 years, in his lifelong devotion to securing civil rights, including the right to vote, for all U.S. citizens, John Lewis repeatedly risked arrest and his life to make real the promise of our Declaration of Independence and our founders highest ideals. In his later years, Lewis often spoke of passing the baton on to new generations. He knew that there was still work to do despite the advances won through his and others’ willingness to risk physical harm to stand strong for their beliefs.
How can we in Alaska honor his courage? Thanks to him, we do not need to take blows to our bodies or be arrested over and over again as he did. Here are some simple things that we can do to march forward in memory of John Lewis:
1. Read about his life at your public library, in books such as his memoir “Walking with the Wind,” and share with young people the comic-style series “March” books One, Two and Three, in which Lewis and his fellow activists are true superheroes armed only with their superpower of nonviolent civil disobedience.
2. Help a friend or coworker register to vote for the November general election by going to the Alaska Division of Elections website.
3. Write to Sen. Dan Sullivan to ask him to support the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act to update the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that opened elections to many who have faced barriers to voting, including many Alaska Natives. (Sen. Lisa Murkowski is already a cosponsor of the bill.)
4. Vote! If you are already registered, your next opportunity will be in the Alaska primary election on Aug. 18. If you have health concerns and are hesitant to go to your polling place that day, you can still apply online for an absentee ballot by mail by Saturday, Aug. 8. Or in Juneau, Soldotna, Anchorage, Wasilla, Fairbanks or Nome, you can to vote early in person at designated places beginning Aug. 3.
RIP John Lewis (1940-2020).
Sue Sherif
Fairbanks
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.