Representative John Lewis awarded 2016 Liberty Medal
The National Constitution Center’s Liberty Medal was awarded to United States Representative John Lewis during the 28th Annual Liberty Medal Ceremony on Monday, September 19, 2016 in Philadelphia.
Jeffrey Rosen presents Liberty Medal to John Lewis
Representative Lewis, who, along with Hosea Williams, led the 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on “Bloody Sunday,” was recognized for his courageous dedication to civil rights and the Constitution.
“I never tried to win any award,” Lewis told the National Constitution Center audience. “My plan wasn’t to seek fame or fortune. All I wanted to do is to help out to do what I could to help make this country and the world community a little bit better.”
“We truly believed that by refusing to comply with what was wrong we could get our nation to do what was right,” Lewis said. “We had an extraordinary vision to live in a society that respected dignity and the worth of every human being.”
“There are some people that have said, ‘Nothing has changed.’ Come and walk in my shoes and I will show you change,” Lewis said.
The National Constitution Center’s Liberty Medal, established in 1988, annually honors men and women of courage and conviction who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.
The selection of Representative Lewis comes as the National Constitution Center commemorates the 150th anniversaries of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, a series of constitutional amendments known as the Reconstruction Amendments.
“Through his heroic leadership on behalf of civil rights and the Constitution, Representative Lewis has helped to extend the blessings of liberty and equality to all Americans. Under his leadership, the Civil Rights Movement helped this nation move toward the creation of the ‘more perfect union’ promised by President Lincoln at Gettysburg,” said Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, adding, “As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees the equal protection of the laws, the National Constitution Center is thrilled to honor Representative Lewis with the 2016 Liberty Medal.”
“Representative Lewis is an inspiration to people all over the world,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “On behalf of the City of Philadelphia, I am thrilled to welcome him back to our city and to help showcase his achievements with the Liberty Medal.”
Representative Lewis is the only surviving “Big Six” leader of the Civil Rights Movement, a group of prominent civil rights leaders which included Martin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young.
To read more about this event, go to http://constitutioncenter.org/libertymedal
