The November midterm elections are 24 hours away and both sides of the political aisle have brought out their respective big guns to give their supporters a last-minute push to the polls.
In Georgia, the race for governor is a tight one as Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams may make history by becoming the first African-American woman to hold the office in the historically Republican state. Civil Rights activist and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga) spoke to a roaring crowd Saturday (Nov. 3) about the importance of voting and the sacrifices he and others made half a century ago on Bloody Sunday.
“I gave a little blood on that bridge in Selma, 53 years ago,” Lewis said. “I almost died. Some of my friends and colleagues were murdered in Mississippi and other places.”
Lewis was 25-years-old when he wore a cream-colored trench coat, and knapsack as he, Andrew Young, Dr. Martin Luther King, and many others peacefully walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to bring attention to black disenfranchisement in the south. Protestors were beaten with Billy Clubs and attacked by police dogs. Lewis’ head was fractured by law enforcement and he was subsequently thrown in jail.
Lewis later acknowledged the fight for equality isn’t easy and has landed him behind bars, “I’m probably going to get arrested again for something,” he said to a crowd who responded with laughter. “I’m not suggesting that any of you should go out and get arrested, but when you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, stand up and say something, do something,” he said.
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