What a change agent and Civil Rights Leader Congressman John Lewis was.  He has been called the “conscience of Congress” and spent his life fighting systemic racism.  On Jul 27th 2020, the country watched his funeral at the U.S. Capitol.  As I listened to “Amazing Grace” echo through the chamber, never have the words of that song resonated more for me than for this individual.  

Despite more than 40 arrests, physical attacks, and serious injuries, he remained devoted to the philosophy of nonviolence.  He spent his life overcoming adversities such as:

• Organizing sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters as a University student

• Participating in the Freedom Rides 

• Marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma for voting rights 

• Being beaten severely by angry mobs

• Becoming one of the Big Six Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement

The above combined with his very high ethical standards and moral principles earned him just some of the honors below.

• Medal of Freedom

• Lincoln Medal

• Preservation Hero Award

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize

• John F. Kennedy "Profile in Courage Award"

• Over 50 honorary degrees from places such as Harvard University, Brown University, Princeton University, Morehouse College, Duke University, and more

As you reflect on this powerful change agent’s career:

• What lessons have you learned from him?

• How would people describe your treatment of others?

• Where are you allowing fear to stop you from speaking up?

• What do you want your legacy to be?

What a teacher; thank you John Lewis for being such a shining example of how effective a change agent and leader can be.  And as John Lewis put it, “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”  

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About the Author: Rosanne Essiambre helps change agents and departments in one-on-one and group settings to be seen, be heard, and be effective in bringing about change in the organization and/or in their personal lives. She provides consulting and facilitation to organizations to improve communications and collaboration, smooth out the change / transformation journey, get to the root cause of an issue so it can be solved for good, improve processes, and implement successful lessons learned. And she conducts workshops, trains, and speaks on Energy Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, Being a Change Agent and more. If you or your organization could use support with your change effort or some inspiration, contact Rosanne for a complimentary consultation. Rosanne is a Change Agent Coach, Facilitator, Six Sigma Black Belt, Change Management / Continuous Improvement Consultant, Speaker, and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner with more than 20 years experience working on a variety of transformations across a diverse set of industries both domestically and internationally, while continuously improving herself.