Rep. John Lewis: 'I have been beaten, my skull fractured' for right to vote

William Cummings | USA TODAY

Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights hero who volunteered with the Freedom Riders and who led the marchers who were attacked by Alabama state troopers on "Bloody Sunday" in 1965, invoked his sacrifices and struggles in an appeal Monday to get people out to vote in the midterm elections.

"I have been beaten, my skull fractured, and arrested more than forty times so that each and every person has the right to register and vote," Lewis said in a tweet. "Friends of my gave their lives. Do your part. Get out there and vote like you’ve never voted before. #vote #goodtrouble"

The images of peaceful protesters like Lewis being assaulted by angry white mobs and policemen enforcing Jim Crow laws helped bring about the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

I have been beaten, my skull fractured, and arrested more than forty times so that each and every person has the right to register and vote. Friends of my gave their lives. Do your part. Get out there and vote like you’ve never voted before. #vote #goodtrouble — John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) October 22, 2018

"Good trouble" has become something of a catchphrase for Lewis, who stirred up plenty of trouble for a just cause as one of the "Big Six" civil rights leaders, an illustrious group that included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lewis was one of the keynote speakers at the famous March on Washington in 1963 where King gave his historic "I Have a Dream" speech.

The Georgia Democrat's plea to get out and vote comes amid a controversy in his state over alleged voter suppression. Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, the Republican candidate for governor, has been accused by his Democratic opponent, Stacey Abrams of disproportionately rejecting new voter registration applications from African Americans.

"I think there is a deliberate, systematic effort on the part of people in the state of Georgia to prevent some people from participating in the democratic process," Lewis told the Orlando Sentinel last week.

"It’s very frustrating to me," Lewis said. "It’s unreal."

At a get out the vote rally in North Carolina on Friday, Lewis said that the midterm election is "an opportunity to change America and set our country on the right path," according to the Fayetteville Observer.

"There are forces in Washington today trying to take us back. We’ve come too far. We’re not going back. We’re going forward," Lewis said.