Hundreds Attend 'Good Troubles' Rally, Candlelight Vigil In Newtown-Middletown

NEWTOWN-MIDDLETOWN, PA — More than 400 marked the fifth anniversary of the passing of Congressman John Lewis, a leading light of the civil rights movement, during a "Good Troubles" rally and candlelight vigil Thursday night.

Good Trouble Unites Us - a coalition of over 100 national organizations including Indivisible, the League of Women Voters, the ACLU and the Human Rights Campaign - held more than 1,000 nationwide events to remember the life of John Lewis and to inspire others in the community to stand up to injustice.

“Above all else, John Lewis promoted the dignity and equality of all people,” said Karen Rodriguez, co-leader of hosting organization Indivisible Bucks County. “What we are seeing right now from the Trump Administration is the opposite of that principle - with rampant racial profiling, dehumanization, and denial of due process. There could not be a clearer contrast between the reality of where we are right now, and the shining example of what we could reach for, if only we live up to the example provided to us by John Lewis.”

(Barbara LeSaint/Yardley Indivisible)

“John Lewis is an inspiration for most of us in this movement,” said Laura Rose, co-leader of hosting organization Indivisible Bucks County. “He was a man whose life was a sterling example of the principles of non-violent protest, the expansion of rights to all, and the power of perseverance. In this era of political chaos and the Trump Administration’s attempt to strip civil rights from our fellow citizens, we all look to examples like John Lewis for a reminder of how to move forward in our search for America’s more perfect union.”