John Lewis Candlelight Vigil + Atlanta’s #GoodTrouble Community

“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble and help redeem the soul of America."

-Congressman John Lewis atop Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, March 1, 2020.

Atlanta, GA

"Take a long, hard look down the road you will have to travel once you have made a commitment to work for change. Know that this transformation will not happen right away.

Candlelight Vigil for Lewis in Atlanta, GA, Sunday, July 19, 2020

“Change often takes time.

It rarely happens all at once. In the movement, we didn't know how history would play itself out. When we were getting arrested and waiting in jail or standing in unmovable lines on the courthouse steps, we didn’t know what would happen, but we knew it had to happen."

-John Lewis protesting in “Across the Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change.”

"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."

One of Lewis’ mentees who told him

“Keep ‘em marching. Keep ‘em marching.”

"A democracy cannot thrive where power remains unchecked and justice is reserved for a select few. Ignoring these cries and failing to respond to this movement is simply not an option — for peace cannot exist where justice is not served."

"Nothing can stop the power of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society. Why?

Because human beings are the most dynamic link to the divine on this planet."

-John Lewis