Lewis is the last living African-American civil rights activitist that fought side by side with Martin Luther King Jr. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, called him the "conscience of Congress". (Von Daniel Albrecht)

John Robert Lewis was born on February 21, 1940 on a farm near Troy, Alabama. His childhood was marked by country life and the discrimination against the African-American population. At 15, he participated in a bus boycott 60 kilometers away in the capital, Montgomery. Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, he organized the first student demonstrations against racial segragation. During the Freedom Rides, he risked his life as he sat in the bus seats reserved for white passengers. Only 23, he was one of the headlining speakers at the historic march on Washington in August 1963. Two years later, he led 600 demonstrators from the city of Selma to the Alabama capital Montgomery; the protest ended in police violence.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter asked him to become the director of the national volunteer organization ACTION. He entered the House of Representatives in 1986 as a Representative of the state of Georgia. As Senior Chief Deputy Whip of the Democratic Party, he is one of the most influential politicians in Washington. For his peaceful and brave advocacy against injustice and discrimination, he has been awarded numerous honors including the Lincoln Medal at Ford’s Theater in Washington. —