The March on Washington was a March for Jobs and Freedom. There are still too many people who are unemployed or underemployed in America - they're black, white, Latino, Native American and Asian American.
I want to see young people in America feel the spirit of the 1960s and find a way to get in the way. To find a way to get in trouble. Good trouble, necessary trouble.
Interpretation
What this quote means
John Lewis encourages young people to embrace activism and stand up for what is right, even if it leads to controversy.
In this quote, John Lewis urges the youth of America to channel the revolutionary spirit of the 1960s, a time marked by significant social change and civil rights movements. He advocates for engaging in 'good trouble,' which refers to taking action that challenges injustice, even if it is deemed controversial or leads one into conflict. Lewis emphasizes the importance of fighting for justice and standing against oppression, encouraging a spirit of courage and activism among young people.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a youth rally advocating for social justice.
More from John Lewis
All quotes →The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in the American society.
Customs, traditions, laws should be flexible, within good reason, if that is what it takes to make our democracy work.
I say to people today, 'You must be prepared if you believe in something. If you believe in something, you have to go for it. As individuals, we may not live to see the end.'
We need someone who is going to stand up, speak up, and speak out for the people who need help, for the people who have been discriminated against.
If it hadn't been for that march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday, there would be no Barack Obama as President of the United States of America.
Similar quotes
What's important is that, when you're tested, you stand firm against the violent activities of those who would try to plunge our people back into the misery of the past.
In defense of our persons and properties under actual violation, we took up arms. When that violence shall be removed, when hostilities shall cease on the part of the aggressors, hostilities shall cease on our part also.
These are nonviolent people who have lost their freedom simply because they expressed their ideas….In truth, they are heroes of our time.
War's very object is victory, not prolonged indecision. In war there is no substitute for victory.
When I look back at what I had to go through in black baseball, I can only marvel at the many black players who stuck it out for years in the Jim Crow leagues because they had nowhere else to go.
What I did at Ole Miss had nothing to do with going to classes. My objective was to destroy the system of white supremacy.