Local leaders remember John Lewis with call to action for voters

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Wednesday marks four years since the death of John Lewis. Organizations, city officials and state leaders all gathered to remember his legacy and stress the importance of voting.

“Everyone wants to talk about America, but you don’t know if you don’t know all of the stories and that we can revert back to what it used to be, and the fights will be different,” said Georgia House Rep. Edna Jackson.

Lewis was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District. He is known for being one of the Big Six during the civil rights movement, which led him to have major involvement in the 1965 Voters Rights Act.

“John left with us a legacy that we should follow, so, you know, get into some good trouble,” said Chatham County Chairman Chester Ellis. “And so this is good things that are happening, especially in this time of voting. And we need to get out the message of how important it is for us to vote in the upcoming election.”

Wednesday’s events centered around educating the community about the importance of voting and understanding the history of the Black vote, something Lewis fought for throughout his life.

“Everybody’s vote counts. If you put your ballot in, it counts. And you make a difference. But if you don’t vote, then you have no say,” said activist Jerome Irwin.

“But what the younger generation with the older generation and everybody in between who is eligible to vote need to understand is that in order for us to dial everything down, we must get out and vote,” Ellis emphasized. “Voting will calm the storm. It will put the storm past us because we are in the midst of a storm.”