LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Lexington area high school graduate said an internship with the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis shaped her future.
“I learned the importance of persistence and using your voice," said Nakia Ridgeway, who graduated from Tates Creek High School, according to a story by LEX18.
Lewis, a 17-term congressman from Georgia and prominent civil rights activist, died Friday at the age of 80.
Lewis was the last surviving member of the “Big Six,” a group instrumental in the organization of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 at the height of the civil rights movement.
Ridgeway, who interned with Lewis in 2016, is pursuing a career in politics and said she thinks Lewis would be proud of the younger generation standing up against civil injustice.
“One of his philosophies was encouraging people to get in good trouble, in necessary trouble. And I would think the work that is being done after the death of George Floyd is that, calling out what is wrong and making sure our voices are heard to make sure that change happens after that," said Ridgeway.
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