Some of the leaders of the March on Washington, 1963. Lewis is second from right. Quaker Bayard Rustin was often absent from these photographs: he was seen as a liability to the movement because of his homosexuality, conscientious objection, and communist affiliations. Photo: By Rowland Scherman.
The final call: Tony D’Souza has the last words of John Lewis
‘I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart.’
by Tony D’Souza
1st May 2026
John Lewis (1940-2020) led a remarkable life. Born to a family of sharecroppers in rural Alabama, the third of ten children, he grew up in extreme poverty. By the time he was six, he said he had seen only two white people in his life.
