Their words
“The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.”
Source: “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation”, The New York Times, 30 July 2020
Context Lewis, beaten by state troopers at Selma in 1965 while marching for voting rights, urged readers to protect and use the ballot.
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More words from John Lewis
“Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.”
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“Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community.”
John Lewis United States♥ 0
“In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.”
John Lewis United States♥ 0
“To those who have said, “Be patient and wait,” we have long said that we cannot be patient. We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now!”
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“When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, to do something.”
John Lewis United States♥ 0
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime.”
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