KINGSTON – John Lewis, a former civil rights leader and congressman, died July 17, 2020, and activists in Ulster County gathered Saturday to honor his legacy at the Center for Creative Education in Kingston.
“Good Trouble Lives On,” is a nationwide celebration of Lewis’ life, and voter registration drives were conducted at the gathering to honor someone who fought fervently for voting rights.
Outside the creative arts center, Lauri Felver was asking passersby if they were registered to vote. Felver, like those inside, dedicated her Saturday to ensure the strengthening of our voting rights.
“Every vote counts,” she said. “Understanding what’s going on in Washington and how they’re trying to undermine our elections, the only way we can make sure we gets the credits is by voting. And by voting in numbers, not by ones or twos, but by large numbers.”
“We’re all devoted to voting,” said Lyn DelliQuadri, who helped organize the event for Indivisible Ulster 18 & 19. “All these table, various aspects of the community, all are pitching in to try and get people out to vote.”
Lewis helped organize the “Bloody Sunday” march in 1965, leading 600 protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL. who demanded voting rights. A confrontation with Alabama state troopers resulted in Lewis suffering a fractured skull.
In 1963 Lewis was also the youngest speaker at the March on Washington, D.C.
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