National Advisory Council

Angela Glover Blackwell

Founder in Residence, PolicyLink

Donna Brazile

Veteran Political Strategist, Adjunct Professor, Author and Syndicated Columnist

William “Bill” Bynum

Chief Executive Officer, Hope Credit Union

The Honorable Bill Clinton

42nd President of the United States

Michelle E. Banks

Member, Board of Directors, The Atlantic
Member, Board of Directors, Essence Communications Inc.

Oskar Eustis

Artistic Director, Public Theater of New York City

Drew Gilpin Faust

President Emeritus, Harvard University

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, Harvard University

Laurene Powell Jobs

Founder and President, Emerson Collective

Michael L. Lomax, PhD

President and CEO, UNCF (United Negro College Fund)

Fred J. Luter Jr.

Pastor, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, Former President, Southern Baptist Convention

Marc H. Morial

President and CEO, National Urban League

Adam Silver

Commissioner, National Basketball Association

Cleo Wade

Author & Activist

Darren Walker

President, Ford Foundation

Honorary National Advisory Council Members

Congressman Lewis was a guiding light for our nation. His life and words were a constant and steady reminder of how far we have come as a nation but also how far we have to go. His constant pursuit of liberty and justice for all, whatever the odds, whatever the risks, was uniquely American.

Over his lifetime, Rep. Lewis put himself on the front lines, many times risking his life in the fight to recognize the humanity and dignity of all people, including the right to vote–our most basic and sacred right in this democracy.

We were honored to have had Congressman Lewis on our National Advisory Council. Our march towards racial justice, our pursuit of the common good is in his name. In his honor, we must build a real bridge to the future that we can walk across together. We can’t let anybody turn us around.

The Honorable John Lewis

United States Representative (GA-5)

Often called “one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced,” John Lewis dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties, and building what he called “The Beloved Community” in America.

Read More About John Lewis

He was born the son of sharecroppers on February 21, 1940, outside of Troy, Alabama. He grew up on his family’s farm and attended segregated public schools in Pike County, Alabama. As a young boy, he was inspired by the activism surrounding the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which he heard on radio broadcasts. In those pivotal moments, he made a decision to become a part of the Civil Rights Movement. Ever since then, he has remained at the vanguard of progressive social movements and the human rights struggle in the United States.

In 1961, he volunteered to participate in the Freedom Rides, which challenged segregation at interstate bus terminals across the South.

By 1963, he was dubbed one of the Big Six leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.

In 1964, John Lewis coordinated the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) efforts to organize voter registration drives and community action programs during the Mississippi Freedom Summer. The following year, Lewis helped spearhead one of the most seminal moments of the Civil Rights Movement.

Despite more than 40 arrests, physical attacks, and serious injuries, John Lewis remained a devoted advocate of the philosophy of nonviolence.

In 1977, John Lewis was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to direct more than 250,000 volunteers of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency.

In 1981, he was elected to the Atlanta City Council. He was elected to Congress in November 1986 and has served as U.S. Representative of Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District since then. He is Senior Chief Deputy Whip for the Democratic Party in leadership in the House, a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Oversight.

John Lewis holds a B.A. in Religion and Philosophy from Fisk University, and he is a graduate of the American Baptist Theological Seminary, both in Nashville, Tennessee.

John Lewis lived in Atlanta, Georgia, and is survived by his only son, John Miles.