This past Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Congressman John Lewis. He served a distinguished career spanning 34 years in Congress and his legacy lives on in many ways, particularly in the pending John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act before Congress. His well-documented career revealed a politician committed to civil rights for all people, the environment, gun control legislation, a champion of equal marriage, an immigration rights activist and a lifelong opponent of racism and white supremacy. Lewis studied Ghandian nonviolence in college and applied these principles to sit-ins in Nashville, his participation in the Freedom Rides where he nearly lost his life and his leadership of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He was the youngest speaker at the March On Washington in 1963. He continued to register voters and nearly lost his life again at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma in 1965.
His courage and inspiration came from his faith. He said, “religion is what got us on the buses … and we went to Selma that day because of our faith.” He loved the Bible, felt an early call to ministry and famously preached to the chickens on his family farm as a child. He earnestly tuned in as a teenager to hear the preaching of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the radio, and was taken by King’s call for justice on the streets of the South, not just the streets of heaven as he was accustomed to hearing in church. We testify here to his role as a religious prophet, how his faith and unswerving belief in nonviolence sustained him, and how his example as a spiritual leader is inspiring people of faith in San Mateo County to stand up for racial justice today.
Racism and racial inequality are a reality in San Mateo County. Just ask the firefighter currently suing the Redwood City Fire Department for racial discrimination. Housing discrimination is deeply rooted in the racial covenants that were found in many of our communities on the Peninsula. Police brutality is a reality in some communities. Just ask Amaka Okobi whose son Chinedu was hit with a taser and died by law enforcement officials on El Camino Real two years ago for jaywalking. As people of faith, we hear John Lewis speak to us as he spoke at a Selma commemoration a few years ago “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble and help redeem the soul of America.” We are determined to be in solidarity and to challenge the internalized racism and white supremacy in ourselves, in our places of worship and in the communities we serve.
We are planning a multifaith intergenerational, interracial march — using our bodies as a witness and our voices as a prayer to echo the prayer that John Lewis offered at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2020: “It does not matter what language you speak or the color of your skin. It does not matter whether you worship one God, many gods or no gods. We are one people, one family.” Just as John Lewis experienced the March on Washington in 1963 and the Selma March in 1965 as a sacred act, we invite you to join us 1 p.m. Aug. 15 at Central Park in San Mateo as we march for racial equality. We call on John Lewis to bless our march with his own words:
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“You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light ... Release the need to hate, to harbor division and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.”
As people of faith, we heed a divine call for justice, and we honor the still-speaking prophetic voice of John Lewis, and we say “Yes!”
Come learn more about his life Saturday, July 24, at 7:30 p.m. at the Latter-Day Saints church in Foster City at our twilight outdoor showing of the documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble.”
Diane Fahrner and the Rev. Jim Mitulski are members of the Peninsula Solidarity Cohort, also co-presidents of the Peninsula Multifaith Coalition and members of the NAACP San Mateo Branch. Diane is a Mercy associate affiliated with Mercy Center in Burlingame. Jim is interim pastor at Island United Church in Foster City. The Peninsula Solidarity Cohort is a group of 40 interfaith leaders working for compassion and justice in San Mateo County. You can register for the march and other events of the Peninsula Multifaith Coalition at peninsulamultifaith.org.
Dear Rev. Mitulski and Diane, Thank you so much for this beautiful reminder of justice marching from the doorsteps of communities of faith. My friend the late Rev. Robert McAfee Brown would be proud that his legacy of marching for freedom and justice continues. Thank you for being voices for inclusion, peacemaking, and social justice here on our county!
I was fortunate to study with Rev. McAffee Brown when I was in seminary. THan you for this reminder of his influence on me personally and on the world in gneral.
Please enjoy your march. At least it’s not a march to pay tribute to George Floyd. I assume Mr. Lewis had some notable, and positive, actions in his younger days. BTW, let’s balance your example of racism by asking all the other firefighters currently not suing the RCFD about racial discrimination. And let’s balance your example of police brutality with all the other citizens who have not been hit with a taser, even though they may also have been jaywalking.
John Lewis had a long and incredible life and career fighting for social justice and freedom. He, along with a dear friend of mine now on the other side of the rainbow bridge, was a freedom rider. For me, his most significant legacy is that of nonviolent action. Standing up for what you believe and being willing to risk your life without raising a fist against the other is what helped transform Americans during the civil rights marches and actions. If you are interested in reading more about his life and legacy his three part graphic memoir, March (Books 1, 2, and 3) are powerful and inspiring.
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(4) comments
Dear Rev. Mitulski and Diane, Thank you so much for this beautiful reminder of justice marching from the doorsteps of communities of faith. My friend the late Rev. Robert McAfee Brown would be proud that his legacy of marching for freedom and justice continues. Thank you for being voices for inclusion, peacemaking, and social justice here on our county!
I was fortunate to study with Rev. McAffee Brown when I was in seminary. THan you for this reminder of his influence on me personally and on the world in gneral.
Please enjoy your march. At least it’s not a march to pay tribute to George Floyd. I assume Mr. Lewis had some notable, and positive, actions in his younger days. BTW, let’s balance your example of racism by asking all the other firefighters currently not suing the RCFD about racial discrimination. And let’s balance your example of police brutality with all the other citizens who have not been hit with a taser, even though they may also have been jaywalking.
John Lewis had a long and incredible life and career fighting for social justice and freedom. He, along with a dear friend of mine now on the other side of the rainbow bridge, was a freedom rider. For me, his most significant legacy is that of nonviolent action. Standing up for what you believe and being willing to risk your life without raising a fist against the other is what helped transform Americans during the civil rights marches and actions. If you are interested in reading more about his life and legacy his three part graphic memoir, March (Books 1, 2, and 3) are powerful and inspiring.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.