Get into some 'Good Trouble'! Honoring John Lewis

A Black American freedom fighter, human rights activist, politician, nonconformist, leader, trailblazer, author and change agent. He changed and influenced the world in many ways in which we all benefit from today, no matter your color, gender, religion or disability. Lewis was the real deal and as stated by Dr. Cornel West, is a “National Treasure”.

Lewis, who was born in the United States in Alabama from parents who were sharecroppers, later moved to Tennessee, the epicenter for the civil rights struggle in the 1960s. He practiced non-violent techniques and methods, which set in motion a legacy as being one of the most courageous and charismatic leaders of the movement in the 1960s. From Selma marches, the Freedom Rides, Bloody Sunday and many other protests, he was there. Lewis’ tenacity and activism led to him being arrested more than 40 times and he endured and suffered from multiple severe physical attacks.

Later on in his life, Lewis served as the U.S. representative for the 5th Congressional District of Georgia from 1987 to July 17, 2020. Lewis’ has authored several books such as, "Walking with the Wind," his eyewitness account and testimony of the movement. Lewis has won several awards, including the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Lillian Smith Book Award for Non-Fiction and The New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

The film, Good Trouble, is an intimate account of legendary U.S. Representative John Lewis’ life, legacy and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism — from the bold teenager on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement to the legislative powerhouse he was throughout his career. After Lewis petitioned Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to help integrate a segregated school in his hometown of Troy, Alabama, King sent “the boy from Troy” a round trip bus ticket to meet with him. From that meeting onward, Lewis became one of King’s closest allies. He organized Freedom Rides that left him bloodied or jailed, and stood at the front lines in the historic marches on Washington and Selma. He never lost the spirit of the “boy from Troy” and called on his fellow Americans to get into “good trouble” until his passing on July 17, 2020.

DIRECTED BY Dawn Porter

PRODUCED BY Laura Michalchyshyn, Dawn Porter, Erika Alexander and Ben Arnon

sources: loc.gov, johnlewisgoodtrouble.com (Sept. 2021)