"The way of violence, the way of division... we can lay down this heavy burden. Hate is too heavy a burden to bear," Lewis is heard saying in the opening minutes of the documentary Get in the Way: John Lewis, which was shown Wednesday night.
It was hard to miss the organizers of Lexington's John Lewis National Day of Commemoration and Action event at the Downtown Library as they greeted visitors in blue and yellow shirts with his picture and phrase the congressman became known for: good trouble.
Tell the story. Tell it over and over again.John Lewis, Get in the Way
"He did necessary good trouble, so it totally fits in our mission," says Tia Miller. "So we're here, acknowledging his presence in our communities and we are just trying to trying to make our communities better."
Miller is with ABLE, which stands for Advocacy Based on Lived Experience, one of three organizations that hosted the event on the fourth anniversary of Lews's passing. But as Jennifer Jackson, with the League of Women Voters of Kentucky, said, the gathering spanned far beyond the bluegrass.
"This is actually part of a national day of movement, so there are 86 events happening across the United States," she explained.
Those events were also meant to rally support for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Freedom to Vote, Act, Native American Voting Rights Act, and DC statehood.
