{"206681":{"#nid":"206681","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Tech Honors Civil Rights Legend John Lewis","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was people like John Lewis who kept me keeping on,\u201d recounted Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a journalist and the first African-American woman to graduate from the University of Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHunter-Gault was just one of many who gathered on April 4 to honor a survivor of the \u201cBloody Sunday\u201d beatings with the 2013 Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage. That same day marked the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI didn\u2019t like those signs [the colored and white signs found in the south],\u201d Congressman John Lewis said when asked what prompted him to get involved with civil rights. \u201cI wanted to do something about them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt age 25, Lewis became known around the world following the 1965 \u201cBloody Sunday\u201d beatings of peaceful protesters in Selma, Ala. His impact on civil rights for African-Americans included advocating for desegregation laws and voters\u2019 rights.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe celebration honoring Lewis, which is named for the late Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., included the Allen Prize Symposium. The symposium kicked off with a panel of faculty members from the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts discussing how their work at Tech translates into helping local to international communities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, Sheri Davis-Faulkner, community liaison for the Westside Communities Alliance, discussed some of the ways that she is connecting Tech people and resources to the communities surrounding the Institute. (To learn more about these efforts and how you can get involved, contact \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sheridf@iac.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EDavis-Faulkner\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring another session, Hunter-Gault; Wyche Fowler Jr., a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Sherry Frank, former executive director of the Atlanta Chapter of the American Jewish Committee; and Andrew Young, former ambassador to the United Nations, shared memories of Lewis. President Bill Clinton, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu also sent pre-recorded messages.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother highlight of the morning was a Q\u0026amp;A session that included Lewis and his friends. During the discussion, he was asked to share his thoughts about a civil rights issue that is currently front-and-center \u2014 the issue of gay marriage.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf two individuals want to get married, that\u2019s their business,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t have equality for some and not for all if you\u2019re going to carry out the meaning of the 14th Amendment.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen asked to share his advice for students, Lewis told them to find a cause that they are passionate about and advocate for it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGive it your all and never give up or give in or give out,\u201d he said. \u201cWhatever you do, do it with faith, hope, and much love.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELewis accepted his award in front of a standing ovation during a lunch program held at The Biltmore. The Social Courage award is given annually to individuals who, by asserting moral principle, positively affect public discourse at the risk of their careers, livelihoods and, sometimes, even their lives.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI always did what I could do to help other people,\u201d Lewis said at the ceremony while reflecting on his role in the civil rights movement. \u201cI wanted to make a difference in order to meet the pressing need of people left out or left behind. I was inspired to find a way to a \u2018new way.\u2019 And this inspires me today, as I continue to keep pushing on.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was people like John Lewis who kept me keeping on,\u201d recounted Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a journalist and the first African-American woman to graduate from the University of Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"\u201cIt was people like John Lewis who kept me keeping on,\u201d recounted Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a journalist and the first African-American woman to graduate from the University of Georgia."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-04-15 15:02:25","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:04","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-04-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-04-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"206261":{"id":"206261","type":"image","title":"John Lewis","body":null,"created":"1449179977","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:37","changed":"1475894864","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:44","alt":"John Lewis","file":{"fid":"196735","name":"lewis.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lewis_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lewis_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1698165,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lewis_0.jpg?itok=mVv9quhX"}}},"media_ids":["206261"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/ivanallenprize.gatech.edu\/","title":"Ivan Allen Jr Prize for Social Courage"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"64061","name":"Congressman John Lewis"},{"id":"1616","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"9895","name":"Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}