“The Joy and Perseverance of John Lewis”

Ten days before he died, Rep. John Lewis stood at Black Lives Matter Plaza opposite the White House looking as determined as he did at 23 years old speaking at the March on Washington.  All his life his gentle persona belied his strength, courage, and resiliency. Even when a storm threatened to tear his aunt’s home from the earth, John Lewis “walked with the wind,” hand-in-hand with 14 other children to hold down each corner when it began to lift.  As the whirlwind of current events threaten to tear apart our foundation, let us remember some lessons taught by someone Barack Obama eulogized as “a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance.”

Hugh Taft-Morales joined the Baltimore Ethical Society as its professional leader in 2010, the same year he was certified by the American Ethical Union as an Ethical Culture Leader. He also serves as Leader of the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia. His presence in Ethical Culture has been termed “invigorating.” Taft-Morales lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife Maureen, a Latin American Analyst with the Congressional Research Service, with whom he has three beloved children, Sean, Maya, and Justin.