Early Life of John Lewis
John Lewis was born on February 21, 1940, outside of Troy, Alabama. The son of sharecroppers, Lewis was raised on his family’s farm and attended segregated public schools in his home county. As a youth, he was motivated by the activism of Rosa Parks and the inspiring words of Martin Luther King Jr., whose speeches he absolutely adored. In those early years, he made a life-altering decision to become a part of the Civil Rights Movement.
While attending American Baptist College, John Lewis became an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement. He organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters throughout the South. He also volunteered to partake in the Freedom Rides, challenging segregation on interstate bus routes across the South. Althought Lewis was beaten severely by angry mobs and arrested by police for riding on these buses, he knew that by challenging the injustice of Jim Crow segregation in a public manner he could help the nation witness the deep-rooted problems with racism. From 1963 to 1966--while he was still a college student--Lewis was named Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). SNCC was primarily a nonviolent Civil Rights organization that directed student activism in the Movement.
While attending American Baptist College, John Lewis became an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement. He organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters throughout the South. He also volunteered to partake in the Freedom Rides, challenging segregation on interstate bus routes across the South. Althought Lewis was beaten severely by angry mobs and arrested by police for riding on these buses, he knew that by challenging the injustice of Jim Crow segregation in a public manner he could help the nation witness the deep-rooted problems with racism. From 1963 to 1966--while he was still a college student--Lewis was named Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). SNCC was primarily a nonviolent Civil Rights organization that directed student activism in the Movement.