Centre County residents honor John Lewis, protest Trump at ‘Good Trouble’ events
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- Centre County residents honored John Lewis and protested Trump policies Thursday.
- Keystone Indivisible led the event, citing Lewis' 'good trouble' activism legacy.
- Activist Charles Dumas urged continued advocacy for democracy and marginalized groups.
In 1963, 18-year-old Charles Dumas watched in awe as John Lewis delivered his speech during the now-famous March on Washington. Sixty-two years later, on the fifth anniversary of Lewis’ death, 80-year-old Dumas joined demonstrators in front of the Allen Street gates to deliver a speech of his own.
“I learned from him, because he was, aside from being everything else, a mentor, he was somebody, he was an inspiration,” Dumas said. “So I modeled my life [after his], as much as I could.”
Dumas did just that. With a life full of advocacy, he eventually met Lewis at a voter drive in Mississippi, 10 months after the March on Washington.
On Thursday, as part of the nationwide “Good Trouble Lives On” protests, Dumas and more than 100 other demonstrators honored Lewis’ legacy while simultaneously protesting the Trump administration. Hosted by the local advocacy group Keystone Indivisible, the protest included a candlelit vigil in honor of Lewis, along with hymns and signs of protest against Trump.
It was the latest in a series of anti-Trump protests held locally. Last month, hundreds gathered at the Allen Street gates for a peaceful protest as part of nationwide “No Kings” rallies. Thursday’s event was meant to carry on Lewis’ legacy and the “good trouble” phrase he coined, according to organizers.
“When I look at the things that are happening now, like people being snatched off the street, abducted from court hearings and put in deplorable conditions with no due process, to me that’s the definition John Lewis gave us,” said Dotty Delafield, a representative of Keystone Indivisible.
Keystone Indivisible held a second protest in Bellefonte during the same time Thursday evening. Other participating groups included the Centre County Rapid Response Network, an anti-ICE advocacy group.
“When you see something that’s not just, you have a moral obligation to speak up,” Delafield said, giving her own meaning to Lewis’ signature phrase: “Make good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Leading a life of activism and advocacy, Lewis was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. In 1960, he helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a group that would go on to participate in the 1961 Freedom Rides throughout the Jim Crow South.
Despite being arrested over 40 times, Lewis continued in the fight for equality, and in 1987 he was elected to the House of Representatives. Serving Georgia’s 5th district, he continued to advocate against gun violence, war and discrimination until his death on June 17, 2020.
“John, interestingly enough, went from being the youngest to the oldest,” said Dumas, reminiscing on Lewis’ legacy. “It sobers me up a lot because I’m that age, you know.”
Alongside the bold lettered signs and protest music that echoed through downtown, a noticeable number of demonstrators had gray hair — something Dumas described as “wonderful.”
Dumas, a former Penn State professor and a columnist for the CDT, recounted how during the civil rights movement, it was young people who were at the forefront rather than older ones.
“They had been kowtowed in Jim Crow segregation for so long that they were afraid,” Dumas said. Today, things have changed.
Hoping that young protesters learn from his generation, Dumas said it’s important for the current generation to continue to expand the “struggle for freedom” to women, the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants and the environment.
“Democracy is a verb, not a noun,” said Dumas, referring to his belief that the fight for equality is a continuous process, rather than a stagnant one.
