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Gonzaga Remembers John Lewis
On February 6, 2017, Gonzaga welcomed Congressman Lewis to campus for the Onyx Club's Black History Month Celebration Assembly. After several student performances and readings, Congressman Lewis gave an inspirational talk that touched on his childhood in rural Alabama and his use of nonviolent protests during the Civil Rights era. He encouraged the students to "get into good trouble, necessary trouble" and "use education as a tool for change."
After Lewis's passing on July 17 and his burial this week, Father Planning offered these words of remembrance:
“This week, we buried a noble giant. There is nothing I can say about John Lewis that has not been said already. But as the country mourns his passing, I am reminded anew that in this time where our country struggles with issues of race, equity and justice, you will not find a better example of what true leadership should look like. He answered the call to fight, peacefully, for civil rights; he did so for the benefit of others and at great personal sacrifice to himself; and he most certainly left the world a far better place.
After Lewis's passing on July 17 and his burial this week, Father Planning offered these words of remembrance:
“This week, we buried a noble giant. There is nothing I can say about John Lewis that has not been said already. But as the country mourns his passing, I am reminded anew that in this time where our country struggles with issues of race, equity and justice, you will not find a better example of what true leadership should look like. He answered the call to fight, peacefully, for civil rights; he did so for the benefit of others and at great personal sacrifice to himself; and he most certainly left the world a far better place.
When John Lewis came to Gonzaga to address the black history month assembly a couple of years ago at the invitation of the Onyx Club, I knew we were going to hear a great speech from a great man. However, his powerful remarks to the boys that day ended up not being what impressed me most about him. What impressed me most was how much time he spent at Gonzaga. When the assembly was over, our students from the Onyx Club invited Congressman Lewis to come up to the library for a reception. I was at first pleasantly surprised when he accepted their invitation. However, my surprise turned to amazement when he ended up staying for over an hour and a half after the assembly — staying for so long that you could see his staff growing more and more uncomfortable and anxious as they tried to figure out how to get him to return to Capitol Hill. Unfazed and unhurried, he relished talking with the boys, encouraging them, sharing his experiences with them and listening to theirs.
At Gonzaga, we always talk about the ideal of the Man for Others. As we saw throughout his lifetime and witnessed personally on that afternoon in the library, John Lewis was indeed the consummate Man for Others. My hope and my prayer on that day was that the boys present would absorb something of this great man. I know that they did, and I take comfort in knowing that the void he leaves may be filled by the young men he encouraged that day to follow his lead and become men who do a noble job for all the right reasons.”
Here is a video highlight from the unforgettable day on Eye Street:
And here are photos from the assembly in St. Aloysius Church and the reception that followed:
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