Gerald A. Griggs is an Atlanta attorney who was elected the 13th President of the State Conference of the Georgia NAACP by an overwhelming margin. Sixteen months later, he became the President of the Atlanta NAACP. He writes about our precious right to vote and why now is the time to exercise and safeguard it. — the editors
Standing before the newly unveiled statue of John Lewis in downtown Decatur, I could not help but reflect on the immense legacy of a man who devoted his life to the struggle for civil rights and, most crucially, the right to vote. This statue is not just a tribute to Lewis’s extraordinary life; it is a stark reminder of the ongoing fight to protect voting rights in Georgia, a fight that has become all the more urgent in recent years.
As the President of the Georgia and Atlanta NAACP, it is not lost on me the shoulders upon which I stand. John was not just an American hero, mentor of mine, but also a friend. In reflection on this moment, I must highlight the direct connection between the statue of John Lewis and the contemporary battles over voting rights in Georgia. Lewis’s life was a testament to the belief that the right to vote is the foundation of all other rights. It was a right he risked his life for on the Edmund Pettus Bridge and one he defended with every fiber of his being until his final days…