Riding for Freedom: MARTA hosts John Lewis bus unveiling

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation hosted a special bus unveiling and voter registration drive honoring late Civil Rights icon and MARTA advocate Congressman John Lewis and his wife Lillian Miles Lewis at College Park Station.

Throughout his life, Congressman Lewis was a tireless advocate for voting rights. In 1965, he helped organize voter registration efforts in Selma and was one of the Civil Rights leaders in attendance when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. Congressman Lewis’s work advancing voting rights continued throughout his political career until his death in 2020.

As long-time community leaders and activists in Atlanta, he and his wife, Lillian Miles, understood the significant role public transportation plays in providing opportunity for all. On MARTA’s 30th anniversary, Congressman Lewis said, “MARTA is a shining example of what can be done. We wouldn’t be the capital of the American South if we had not had MARTA.”

Additionally, Congressman Lewis was one of the original Freedom Riders who fought to desegregate the interstate bus system, and who was a tireless advocate for MARTA.

MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood said MARTA history is Black history.

“As part of our yearlong celebration of Black history, we want to recognize the profound contributions of Congressman Lewis who championed public transit and MARTA, and fought for voters’ rights his entire life,” Greenwood said.

Greenwood also said MARTA is honoring Lewis who throughout his life advocated for public transit, voting rights, and opportunities for all people.

“Congressman Lewis was a happy warrior who dedicated himself to helping others and into making good trouble in the face of injustice and inequity. A good example of his good trouble was when he joined the original group of freedom riders who fought to desegregate the U.S Interstate Bus System,” he said. “Congressman Lewis and his wife were tireless advocates for MARTA because they understood the significant role the public transit plays in providing opportunity.

In fact, Greenwood said on MARTA’s 30th anniversary, Congressman Lewis said, “Marta is a shining example of what can be done.

“We wouldn’t be the capital of the American South if we hadn’t had MARTA,” Greenwood said.

The event is part of a year-long celebration of Black history featuring Atlanta Civil Rights icons on a series of special buses. In the past, MARTA has honored icons like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Juanita Jones Abernathy, and Coretta Scott King.

“These buses have given us the opportunity to celebrate the profound contributions the black community has made to our transit agency, to Atlanta and to the world. MARTA history is Black History,” he said.

Also, during the event, a voter registration drive, conducted as part of National Voter Registration Month, was held after the bus unveiling and short program.

Fulton and Clayton County Offices of Registration & Elections were on-site to conduct voter registration and education from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. 

“Lewis also spent his life advocating for voting rights, so what better way to honor him than to host a voter registration project,” Greenwood said. “There will also be events this upcoming Tuesday, Sept. 17 at seven of our railroad stations to honor national voter registration day to raise widespread awareness and promote voter registration.”

“We are excited to partner with MARTA on this special ‘John Lewis Bus’ and on the voter registration drive,” said Detria Everson, president and CEO of the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation. “Congressman Lewis was inspired by the work of Rosa Parks and others to integrate transit systems across the country. He would be proud to know that a MARTA bus with his pictures and quotes was serving constituents he represented in Congress.”

The unveiling of the bus isn’t just a bus, Everson said, but it’s a “symbol of progress and perseverance.”

The deadline for voter registration is October 7. Early voting in Georgia begins on Oct. 15 and Election Day is November 5. To register to vote or for more information, visit https://georgia.gov/register-vote. To check your voter registration status, visit https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/mvp-landing-page.

Related