When Barack Obama stood behind the dark wood pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church in 2020, the air felt heavy. It wasn't just the heat of a Georgia summer. It was the weight of history. Honestly, it’s rare to see a former president speak with that much raw, unfiltered grit, but the moment demanded it. We saw John Lewis remembered by Barack Obama not as a distant statue or a sanitized textbook figure, but as a "founding father" of a better, more honest version of the United States.
John Lewis was the kind of man who made powerful people uncomfortable. Even his friends.
Most people forget that Lewis was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington. He was 23. Imagine that. At an age when most of us are just trying to figure out how to pay rent or finish a degree, he was staring down the federal government and demanding radical change. Obama’s eulogy tapped into that specific energy—the idea that the work of democracy isn't something that just happens. It’s something you have to break your bones for.
The Boy from Troy and the President from Chicago
Obama didn't just talk about the legislation. He talked about the man. He told stories of a young John Lewis, the "boy from Troy," who used to preach to the chickens on his family farm. It’s a funny image, right? A little kid in rural Alabama, taking his faith so seriously that he practiced his sermons on poultry because they were the only audience he had. But that’s where the iron was forged.
By the time Lewis met Dr. King, he was already a seasoned activist in his heart. When we think about John Lewis remembered by Barack Obama, we have to look at the lineage. Obama often said he stood on Lewis's shoulders. It’s not a cliché. Without the bridge at Selma, there is no path to the White House for a man named Barack Hussein Obama. The former president acknowledged this debt with a humility that felt deeply personal. He called Lewis a man of "unbreakable perseverance."
That perseverance was tested on "Bloody Sunday." March 7, 1965.
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Lewis was wearing a trench coat and carrying a backpack. He thought he might get arrested, so he brought two books and an apple. He didn't expect to have his skull fractured by a state trooper’s nightstick. Obama’s reflection on this moment wasn't just a history lesson; it was a reminder that progress is frequently violent and always costly. He spoke about how Lewis didn't give up after that beating. He didn't turn to bitterness. He got back up.
The Meaning of "Good Trouble" in the Modern Age
You've probably heard the phrase "Good Trouble" a thousand times by now. It’s on t-shirts. It’s in Twitter bios. But when Obama spoke about it, he gave it back its teeth. He argued that Lewis’s brand of trouble was about challenging the status quo when the status quo is fundamentally broken.
Challenging the Power Structure
Obama used the eulogy to pivot from the past to the present. It was a bold move. He criticized the current state of voting rights, calling for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to be passed. He even suggested that the filibuster—a "Jim Crow relic"—should be scrapped if it stands in the way of securing the right to vote.
This wasn't just a funeral. It was a manifesto.
He looked at the crowd and basically said that if we really want to honor John Lewis, we can't just clap for him. We have to do what he did. We have to organize. We have to show up. We have to be willing to be unpopular for the sake of what’s right. Lewis spent his final days walking on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington D.C., a frail man with a giant spirit, still showing the next generation how to stand.
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Why This Connection Matters for the Future
The relationship between these two men represents a bridge between two eras of the Civil Rights movement. Lewis was the bridge-builder; Obama was the one who crossed over.
But there’s a tension there.
Lewis was sometimes frustrated by the slow pace of change, even during the Obama administration. He was an agitator by trade. Obama was a navigator of systems. Yet, their mutual respect was unshakable. When Obama awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, he whispered something to him. He told him that he was only there because of what Lewis had done.
When we see John Lewis remembered by Barack Obama, we’re seeing a handoff. The baton isn't being passed to another president; it’s being passed to us. Obama made it clear that Lewis’s life was a rebuke to cynicism. It’s easy to be cynical. It’s hard to have hope when you’re being hit with a club on a bridge in Alabama. Lewis chose hope every single time.
The Specificity of the Loss
Obama pointed out that Lewis was one of the last of the "Big Six" leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. With his passing, a direct link to the courage of the 1960s was severed. That’s why the eulogy felt so urgent. It was a plea to not let the fire go out.
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Obama’s voice cracked slightly when he talked about Lewis's smile. For all the "Good Trouble," Lewis was a man of profound gentleness. He loved people. He believed in the "Beloved Community"—a concept Dr. King championed where justice and peace prevail. Obama reminded us that Lewis didn't hate his oppressors. He wanted to redeem them. That’s a level of moral clarity that feels almost alien in our current political climate.
Actionable Lessons from the Lewis-Obama Legacy
If you're looking for a way to actually apply the spirit of what Obama shared about John Lewis, it starts with moving past the "monument" version of history.
- Audit Your Own "Trouble": Ask yourself if you are staying silent just to keep things comfortable. Real change usually requires a bit of friction. Start small—speak up in a meeting, or challenge a policy in your local community that you know is unfair.
- Prioritize Voting Access: This was the central theme of the eulogy. Supporting organizations like Fair Fight or the Legal Defense Fund helps continue the specific work Lewis spent his life on.
- Study the Tactics: Lewis wasn't just "brave." He was a master of non-violent strategy. Read his memoir, Walking with the Wind, to understand the discipline required to change a nation without firing a shot.
- Mentor the Youth: Obama noted that Lewis was always looking for the "next" John Lewis. If you have experience, find someone younger to pour into. Share the history that isn't in the textbooks.
The most important takeaway is that democracy is not a house that is built once and then you just live in it. It’s a house that requires constant maintenance. Sometimes you have to tear down a wall to fix the foundation. John Lewis wasn't afraid to pick up the hammer, and Obama’s tribute was a call for all of us to stop being afraid of the work.
The story of John Lewis, as remembered by Barack Obama, reminds us that the arc of the moral universe doesn't bend toward justice on its own. It requires people to put their hands on it and pull. It requires the courage to get in the way. It requires a lifetime of getting into trouble—the good kind, the necessary kind.
The next step is simple but difficult: find your bridge. Find the place where you can stand for something bigger than yourself and refuse to move. That is how you truly remember John Lewis.