‘Good Trouble Lives On’ rallies planned on 5th anniversary of John Lewis’ death

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Thursday marks five years since John Lewis, a prominent civil rights activist and longtime Georgia congressman, died — and more than 1,500 rallies are planned to spread his message of “good trouble” across the country.

The “Good Trouble Lives On” rallies protest the Trump administration’s “attacks on our civil and human rights,” the movement said on its website. More than 20 have been organized across Georgia.

“We are facing the most brazen rollback of civil rights in generations,” the movement’s organizers said on their website. “Whether you’re outraged by attacks on voting rights, the gutting of essential services, disappearances of our neighbors, or the assault on free speech and our right to protest — this movement is for you.”

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In Downtown Atlanta, participants will march from the John Lewis mural on Auburn Avenue to the The King Center at 4:30 p.m. Other rallies are also planned for Decatur, Marietta, Alpharetta, Kennesaw, Snellville and more.

John Lewis represented Georgia’s 5th congressional district, which encompasses the heart of Atlanta, for more than thirty years. He urged the public to get in “good trouble,” which he described as non-violent action taken to tackle injustices and spur social change.

“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America,” Lewis once said in what is now one of his most famous quotes.

Lewis was born in rural Alabama on Feb. 21, 1940, and died from pancreatic cancer on July 17, 2020.