On Wednesday, Sept. 28, I had the honor of receiving the John Robert Lewis Lifetime Legacy Award at the opening night Gala of the 10th anniversary of the March on Washington Film Festival. I can’t imagine a greater honor, but the taste is bittersweet. Not only because the great John Lewis is no longer with us, but because of the times we’re living in now.
We’ve seen so much progress since that first March on Washington 60 years ago, but have we really? Just last week, President Biden called on Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. In his statement, the president said, “These laws would address election subversion, remove dark money from politics, end partisan gerrymandering, and fix the gaping holes in voter access left by the Supreme Court of the United States. They would also allow the Justice Department to halt discriminatory laws before they go into effect.”
What has happened to this country, this nation built by the blood, sweat and tears of my ancestors, that the highest court in the land has created “gaping holes in voter access”? The systematic dismantling of democratic norms by the previous inhabitant of the White House —and impending midterm elections — remind us of the long, hard battle we fought for these rights, beginning with that first March on Washington.
For the past decade, the March on Washington Film Festival has used film and programs to promote thoughtful discussion about present-day social justice and equity issues that are shaped by our collective history of civil rights. At a time when the accurate telling — and in some cases, any telling — of the history of the Civil Rights Movement has been squashed in all too many schools, it is a program of vital importance to students — and adults — who need to hear the truth.
Importantly, in addition to showcasing student filmmakers, the Festival will present projects from the Meta Virtual Reality Equity Lab & Fellowship, a first-of-its-kind program that provides virtual reality tutelage to storytellers historically underrepresented in cutting-edge immersive technologies. Learning how to create this type of immersive story telling is a key avenue for creating empathy, something that seems to be lacking in approximately 74.2 million voters.
Empathy certainly wasn’t a problem for John Lewis. Not only was he a warrior for peace and justice, he was a kind and gentle human being who was deeply moved by injustice toward anyone, regardless of their race, religion, sexual preference or gender identity. He fought for everyone.
Every year, I joined John on his annual pilgrimage to Selma, Montgomery and Birmingham, Ala. I brought young people from the Martin Luther King Freedom Center in my district and my grandchildren each year to learn about and give thanks to the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement. John took time to meet with these young people, to inspire them to take the baton and run the next lap of the race for justice and equality.
There’s one thing that could make me happier than receiving the John Lewis Lifetime Legacy Award, and that would be to restore the Voting Rights Act to ensure that every single person in this country can make their vote count. What John and all of the heroes of the civil rights movement knew is that we each hold incredible power. Every person who is registered to vote has the power to determine their future. We cannot let evil win.
Barbara Lee represents the 13th District of California. Isisara Bey is the Artistic Director of the March on Washington Film Festival.