Hundreds of residents, community leaders and advocates gathered in downtown Nashville on Saturday for the fifth annual Rep. John Lewis Way March, an event honoring the late congressman and the many civil rights leaders whose work helped shape Nashville and the nation.
Held under the theme ‘Protect Our Vote, Protect Our Future,’ the annual march commemorates the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis as well as local civil rights leaders including Rev. C.T. Vivian, Diane Nash, Rev. James Lawson and others who dedicated their lives to the pursuit of justice through nonviolent activism.
Participants gathered near the intersection of Rep. John Lewis Way and Jefferson Street before marching along part of the route that Lewis and fellow activists once traveled during the Civil Rights Movement. The event concluded at the Ryman Auditorium with speakers, music and a community program focused on civic engagement and voting rights.
“This is the fifth annual John Lewis march,” organizer and former Metro Council member Zulfat Suara said. “The purpose is to honor the legacy of the people who have marched before us and also for us to step into history and march for a purpose this time.”
Featured speakers included author and professor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, congressional candidate Odessa Kelly, Tenn. state Rep. Justin Jones and other community leaders. The march was preceded Friday by a youth voting symposium encouraging young people to become active participants in the democratic process.
Although Lewis represented Georgia in Congress for more than 30 years, Nashville played a defining role in his life and career. As a student at American Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisk University, Lewis studied under Rev. James Lawson, whose teachings on nonviolent resistance helped shape a generation of civil rights activists.
Lewis emerged as one of the leaders of Nashville’s historic 1960 lunch counter sit-ins, many taking place along what is now Rep. John Lewis Way. He later became one of the original Freedom Riders, helped lead the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march and was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his ‘I Have a Dream’ address.
Following Lewis’ death on July 17, 2020, members of the Metro Council’s Minority Caucus and community leaders began an effort to rename Fifth Avenue in his honor. After public meetings and a petition signed by more than 2,000 supporters, the Metro Council approved the change in November 2020. The street officially became Rep. John Lewis Way in January 2021, stretching from Jefferson Street through downtown to Oak Street near the Historic City Cemetery.
The annual march has since become both a tribute to Lewis and a celebration of Nashville’s central role in the Civil Rights Movement. It also recognizes the contributions of leaders such as Vivian, Nash and Lawson, whose work helped transform the city into a national center for nonviolent protest and social change.
Born in Troy, Alabama, on Feb. 21, 1940, Lewis came to Nashville after high school to attend the American Baptist Theological Seminary while working as a dishwasher and janitor to help pay for his education. Reflecting on his years in the city, Lewis once said: “Nashville prepared me. If it hadn’t been for Nashville, I would not be the person I am now.”
Lewis served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 until his death on July 17, 2020. Today, the annual Rep. John Lewis Way March continues to honor his legacy and that of the many civil rights leaders who marched before him while encouraging future generations to remain engaged in public service and civic participation.
