2023 John Lewis Forever First Class Postage Stamps

A towering figure in some of the most pivotal moments of the Civil Rights Movement, John Lewis was the face of the Nashville Student Movement, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, an original Freedom Rider, and one of the keynote speakers at the historic 1963 March on Washington. Even in the face of hatred and violence, Lewis remained steadfast in his lifelong commitment to what he famously called “good trouble.”

Dedicated to equality and justice for all Americans, Lewis spent more than 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, tirelessly defending and expanding the civil rights gains he helped secure in the 1960s. A passionate advocate for nonviolent protest, he earned more than 50 honorary degrees, was hailed as a “saint” by Time magazine, and affectionately called “the conscience of Congress” by his colleagues.

Lewis’s career of public service included roles as executive director of the Voter Education Project; associate director of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency that oversaw the Peace Corps and VISTA; and as a member of the Atlanta City Council. He was also a celebrated author, penning several bestselling works, including the acclaimed March graphic novel trilogy and his inspiring autobiography, Walking with the Wind.

Elected to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986, Lewis championed landmark legislation throughout his career — securing passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, sponsoring the bill that created the 54-mile Selma-to-Montgomery National Historic Trail, and working for more than a decade to help establish the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. For his extraordinary contributions, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama.