News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A candlelight vigil will be held on Saturday evening in honor of Representative John Lewis on the first anniversary of his passing.
Supporter Anne Austin said the event is put on not by a specific organization, but a coalition of people wanting to come together to celebrate Lewis’ life and legacy.
“John Lewis marched for voting rights over and over and over again,” Austin said. “Historically in Selma on what’s called ‘Bloody Sunday.’ He was brutally beaten and his skull was fractured just trying to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to go to Montgomery to lobby for the right to vote.”
Austin said attendees can expect to hear speakers discuss John Lewis, the John Lewis Voter Rights Advancement Act, the For the People Act, and the need for every eligible person in the United States to have easier access to voting.
The vigil will be held on the Putnam Courthouse Square from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Austin said she hopes attendees will take away the importance of defending the right to vote. She said even a year after his passing, Lewis serves as a motivator for his bravery and dedication to the voting rights cause.
“He has continued to be a symbol to people for voting rights for making sure that there’s fairness and equity and easy access to voting for all U.S. citizens,” Austin said.
