The congressman leading the House sit
As the United States House of Representatives was about to go about its normal business on Wednesday morning, Rep. John Lewis, walked up to the front of the House and sat on the floor.
He was joined, initially, by around 30 other Democratic members of Congress, though that number grew to include around 170 representatives -- plus 20 senators -- throughout the day.
SEE ALSO:Why the House Democrats' gun control sit-in is only playing out on social mediaLewis, 76, was leading his colleagues in a sit-in to try to force more votes on legislation that would bolster gun control.
Tweet may have been deleted
"We have been too quiet for too long," Lewis said on Wednesday. "There comes a time when you have to say something, when you have to make a little noise, when you have to move your feet. This is the time."
The Lewis-led sit-in generated headlines throughout the day, especially because there was no traditional live-feed. Because Congress was not technically in session -- Republicans called a recess when they realized what was afoot -- the C-Span cameras that usually record proceedings were not allowed on. Reporters, too, were kept from broadcasting, but politicians began to do some tweeting and live streaming of their own, capturing social media attention. The sit-in trended on Twitter for most of Wednesday. Eventually, C-Span and other networks picked up the blurry live streams from inside the House.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
The sit-in harkened back to the protests that first put Lewis in the public eye.
Born in Alabama in 1940, he led sit-ins at "whites only" restaurants as a teenager, and joined the "Freedom Rides" demonstrations against segregation in 1961.
Lewis became known as a member of the "Big Six" Civil Rights Movement leaders. He spearheaded American nonviolent protest as the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1963 and helped to plan that year's March on Washington, where he was the youngest person to take to the microphone.
Martin Luther King Jr. (center, right) and other major American leaders of the Black civil rights movement (left to right) John Lewis, Whitney Young, Philip Randolph, M. L. King, James Farmer and Roy Wilkins, meet on March 6, 1963 in New York to organize the "March on Washington", which would be held that August to promote civil rights.Credit: AFP/Getty ImagesThe civil rights activist was also a leader of the march in Selma, Alabama, during which activists who demonstrated so that black Americans might have the right to vote were brutalized by police. That 1965 march came to be known as "Bloody Sunday." Lewis' skull was cracked amid the violence.
Tweet may have been deleted
After fighting for voting rights in the '60s, Lewis went on to win a congressional seat in 1986. From there, he went on to become known as the "conscience of Congress," and he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
Lewis and other representatives questioned that conscience on Wednesday from the House floor.
“We were elected to lead, Mr. Speaker,” Lewis said. “We cannot continue to stick our heads in the sand and ignore the reality of mass gun violence in our nation.”
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
(责任编辑:资讯)
-
Scientists detect water sloshing on Mars. There could be a lot.
A pioneering NASA robot detected over a thousand quakes on Mars. It also may have revealed a huge re ...[详细] -
浜ら€氶摱琛屽彂甯?020骞村崐骞村害涓氱哗鎶ュ憡 闆嗗洟璧勪骇鎬婚鍚屾瘮澧為暱7.72%
銆€銆€涓浗灞变笢缃?鏈?8鏃ヨ8鏈?8鏃ワ紝浜ら€氶摱琛屽彂甯?020骞村崐骞村害涓氱哗鎶ュ憡銆侟/p>銆€銆€鎶ュ憡鏈熷唴锛屼氦琛岀揣鎵?ldquo;鍏ǔ”鐩爣銆?ldquo; ...[详细] -
“同心同行,“我们在一起”平安人寿青岛分公司开展“7.8全国保险公众宣传日”物料宣传
近日,平安人寿青岛分公司积极响应山东省保险行业协会以及青岛市保险行业协会关于“7.8全国保险公众宣传日”的号召,在全辖范围内围绕“健康中国”、&ldqu ...[详细] -
本报讯近日,市民政局召开党组扩大)会议,专题学习雅安市第五次党代会精神。会议认为,大会全面总结市第四次党代会以来的五年,是雅安发展史上极不平凡的五年,各项事业发展迈上新台阶,描绘了未来五年的宏伟蓝图, ...[详细]
-
Travel Back in Time and Uncover Old
Oozing with Old-World charm, Boston’s Beacon Hill is a time-traveler’s dream. Stay in a hotel that o ...[详细] -
本报讯近日,市民政局召开党组扩大)会议,专题学习雅安市第五次党代会精神。会议认为,大会全面总结市第四次党代会以来的五年,是雅安发展史上极不平凡的五年,各项事业发展迈上新台阶,描绘了未来五年的宏伟蓝图, ...[详细]
-
青岛新闻网1月8日讯 由黄真真执导,黎明、王珞丹、林俊杰、张榕容共同带来的年度重磅悬疑爱情巨制《消失的爱人》,即将于1月15日贺岁档全国上映。7日下午,该剧在CBD万达影城举行超前看片,香港导演黄真真 ...[详细]
-
青岛新闻网1月21日讯 随着《芈月传》、《琅琊榜》等古装大剧热播,汉服作为中国传统服饰引起了人们的关注。日前,青岛市图书馆与中国汉服博物馆联合主办的“衣冠威仪 盛世华夏”汉服文 ...[详细]
-
“精致小春姐”顾春芳:华丽白西装、镶钻水晶拖鞋,带来新兴凉果No.1
“精致小春姐”顾春芳:华丽白西装、镶钻水晶拖鞋,带来新兴凉果No.1_南方+_南方plus“欢迎收听广东‘讲错’电台编外节目之广东省第一届农事运动会乡村直播大赛......”来自云浮市新兴县的村播“精 ...[详细] -
7月31日,第30届青岛国际啤酒节在青岛西海岸新区金沙滩啤酒城盛大开幕,青岛进入了为期17天的啤酒狂欢季。除了在金沙滩啤酒城里的狂欢盛宴,8月3日,在QW9850银川-青岛的航班上,青岛航空联合青岛西 ...[详细]