Letter to the editor: John Lewis raised others up

John Lewis has made his final trip across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the bridge where his skull was fractured by Alabama state troopers in 1965. He spent his lifetime earning the military and state trooper guard who honored him as his casket traveled that same bridge on July 26.

Lewis’ life played out with integrity, with his always acting on his belief in human value. It was a principle he pursued despite beatings and numerous arrests at the hands of men who preferred not to see him as human at all.

Lewis advocated an active stand against injustice: “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” Even when he knew his path would meet with physical violence, he trusted America’s soul: “Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Never lose that sense of hope.”

This man became an icon because, with unflinching courage, he raised others up. Lewis showed us what leadership looks like. How many lessons the president could learn from him, were he, too, to follow a principle of uplifting rather than tearing down. The contrast between John Lewis and Donald Trump is both striking and heartbreaking.

Helen Sitler

Ligonier