In 1961, John Lewis volunteered to participate in the Freedom Rides, which were organized to challenge segregation at interstate bus terminals across the South. As a student, John Lewis organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. For more than forty years, he has been in the vanguard of progressive social movements and the human rights struggles in the United States. Memorial Award.Īt an early age, John Lewis developed an unwavering commitment to the Civil Rights Movement. Kennedy 'Profile in Courage Award' for lifetime achievement and the National Education Association Martin Luther King Jr. John Lewis is also the recipient of the John F.

Non-Violent Peace Prize and the NAACP Spingarn Medal. John Lewis is the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Martin Luther King, Jr. He has also been awarded numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities throughout the United States, including Clark Atlanta University, Duke University, Howard University, Brandeis University, Columbia University, Fisk University, Morehouse College, Princeton University and Williams College. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion and Philosophy from Fisk University and he is a graduate of the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. He grew up on his family's farm and attended segregated public schools in Pike County, Alabama. John Lewis was born the son of sharecroppers on Februoutside of Troy, Alabama. Described as 'One of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced,' John Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing personal dignity and building what he calls 'The Beloved Community.' He has displayed a sense of ethics and morality that has won him the admiration of many of his colleagues in the United States Congress.

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