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John Lewis was born February 21, 1940 outside Troy, Alabama. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy from Fisk University. He was also a graduate from the American Baptist Theological Seminar in Nashville, TN.
From young, John had a strong commitment to the civil rights movement. As a student, he organized many sit in demonstration at segregated lunch counters.
In 1961, John volunteered to participate in the Freedom Riders. They were organized to challenge segregation at interstate bus terminals across the south.
John was severely beaten by mobs and risked his life by participation in the Rides.
From 1963-1966, he was the chairman of SNCC. Though young, John was a recognized leader of the civil rights movement. By 1963, he was recognized as one of the "Big Six" leaders on the civil rights movement.
In 1977, John was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to direct more than 250,000 volunteers of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency. In 1980, he left ACTION and became Community Affairs Director of the National Consumer Co-op Bank in- Atlanta.
John Lewis’s first electoral success came in 1981 when he was elected to the Atlanta City Council. While serving on the Atlanta City Council, he was an advocate for ethics in government and neighborhood preservation. He resigned from the Council in 1986 to run for Congress.
Elected to Congress in November 1986, John represents Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District. The Congressional District encompasses the entire city of Atlanta, Georgia and parts of Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties. In 1996, John was unopposed in his bid for a sixth term.
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