Tag: John Lewis

Last week, five people were arrested for chaining themselves to construction equipment as part of protests against the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, dubbed "Cop City" by critics. It’s a long tradition in environmental activism: for many decades, protesters have been lashing themselves to equipment to stop construction projects—including right here in Atlanta. Back in the 1980s, decades before "Stop Cop City," there was "Stop the Road," when thousands of Atlantans came together to block the Presidential Parkway. Leading the fight were the Roadbusters, a ragtag group of activists whose protest stunts, like climbing trees and chaining themselves to construction equipment, made headlines across the city.

Like the rest of John Lewis’s life, the First Day of Issue Dedication Ceremony for his United States Postal Service Forever stamp, held Friday afternoon at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, proved emotional, inspirational, and educational.

Run, the follow-up to the award-winning March trilogy, continues the comic-book memoir of the late congressman John Lewis. Here, coauthor Andrew Aydin discusses why the graphic novels are so important and timely.

The city was full of bravado in the days before the Great Recession. Plus, water woes, John Lewis, a spelling bee, Hurricane Katrina, our first guide to Buford Highway, and more.

The first Atlanta Pride was held in Piedmont Park 50 years ago to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. Our LGBTQ+ community has made many strides over the last half-century. But we have far to go.

Atlanta Pride. It is as much an aspiration of what Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ community can be as it is an articulation of what it is today. It is an emblem of queer visibility and power. It has strived toward worthy ideals—yet it has reneged on its central promise of inclusion.

Our Congressman had an uncanny ability to make total strangers and coworkers feel at ease, whether he was lingering at a three-year-old’s birthday party, signing books at the Barnes & Noble on Moreland Avenue, or shaking hands and giving hugs along the Pride Parade route.

Three former U.S. presidents, civil rights leaders, family, and members of John Lewis's staff all gave speeches during the funeral service before Lewis was buried at Atlanta's South-View Cemetery.

"The lasting memory I’ll have of him is how much he made me and my community feel seen and known, especially during a time when we were the most in need of help," writes Asian Americans Advancing Justice—Atlanta founder Helen Kim Ho.

As our nation mourns the passing of Congressman John Lewis, we wanted to give Atlantans an opportunity to share their personal John Lewis stories. Share your favorite Lewis story, and we’ll compile and publish as many as we can in a future article.