Purpose: The John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation endeavors to encourage a passion for purposeful living. The youth tour goal is to instill a love of learning, commitment to peace, to teaching democracy, to encourage civic engagement, to fairness and justice, and to amplifying the voices of rising generations.

The John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation (JLMLF) proudly initiated its inaugural students’ civil rights tour. A contingent of high school students and educators from the 5th Congressional District, representing Congressman Lewis’s legacy, joined counterparts from Fairfax County, VA, to embark on a journey through civil rights landmarks in Montgomery, Troy, Selma, and Atlanta from April 2 to April 5. Accompanying the group were two JLMLF members, Mr. Stephen McDaniel and Ms. Mignon Morman Willis, who shared a close connection with Congressman Lewis and had multiple opportunities to tour these historical sites with him.

During the tour, students were encouraged to contemplate the lessons and strategies of the Civil Rights Movement and understand their relevance today. The itinerary included visits to significant civil rights sites such as the Rosa Parks Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (the “National Lynching Memorial”), the Equal Justice Institute’s Legacy Museum, the Freedom Rides Museum, the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Civil Rights Memorial Center in Montgomery, Congressman Lewis’ birth home in Troy, the Brown Chapel AME Church, the National Voting Rights Museum, the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, and the King Historic district in Atlanta. The students had the unique opportunity to interact with individuals with firsthand experiences of civil rights events, including Congressman Lewis’ family members, Superintendent of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail Dr. Joy Kinard, and Ms. Lecia Brooks, who served as Chief of Staff and Director of the SPLC’s Civil Rights Memorial Center at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Returning from the tour, the students gained a profound understanding of the people who fought for and secured civil, human, and voting rights, shaping the course of history. They used social media to document and share their experiences, reactions, and thoughts throughout the tour.

JLMLF provided study materials, including copies of Congressman Lewis’ autobiography, “Walking with the Wind,” for each student. As they studied the materials, the students were encouraged to reflect on the lessons and strategies of the Civil Rights Movement and how they apply today.

As Featured on WABE’s “Closer Look”

D’Angelo Taylor can still remember the day that he met the late Congressman John Lewis.

Taylor says he was in the second grade when the civil rights icon visited his school and left a lasting impression on him.

“From what I knew about him, he was a great person,” said Taylor. “He was just a good soul.”

Fast forward to many years later, Taylor, now an 11th grader at Drew Charter School, along with other students from Atlanta and Virginia recently participated in a multi-city civil rights tour hosted by the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation.

On Thursday’s edition of “Closer Look,” Taylor along with Leslie Schaffer, a tour chaperone and a social studies instructor at Drew Charter School, talked about their experience on the tour.