During the Freedom Rides, John Lewis was attacked multiple times. He was attacked for the first time after entering a whites-only waiting room. He was punched and kicked, and suffered several broken ribs and deep cuts around his eyes and mouth. On another Ride, he was struck on the head with a wooden Coca-Cola crate and was knocked unconscious.

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He would be brutally beaten again on Bloody Sunday during a peaceful march for full voting rights in Alabama. He was teargassed and beaten by police with nightsticks, resulting in a skull fracture. He bore scars from the incident for the rest of his life.

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During his life, he was insistent on the need for everyone to get into “good trouble, necessary trouble.” He believed that we all have a moral obligation to say something and do something when we see something that isn’t right. That America’s soul can be redeemed, but only if we take take the actions to create a country where there is justice.

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The words hand-painted on the look read “When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last.” John Lewis wrote these words shortly before his passing.