On March 7, 1965, Congressman John Lewis stepped onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge carrying a backpack filled with books, some food and a toothbrush. He didn’t know what would happen, but he figured he’d be arrested.

Lewis’ involvement in the civil rights movement led to Martin Luther King Jr. coming to Selma, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s utterance of the phrase &uot;We shall overcome&uot; and the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

Lewis stepped onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge again 39 years after Bloody Sunday, but this time as a congressman and an honoree. After crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge at the culmination of Jubilee 2004, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, U.S. Rep. Artur Davis and others unveiled a monument to Lewis.

A ceremony performed by Jackson, Davis and several others echoed Lewis’ words. Taking turns with the microphone, leaders remembered the movement’s participants, both living and dead, as the crowd gathered before the granite monument.

Local attorney Faya Ora Rose Toure said she hoped youth would look at Lewis’ monument and ask who he was and what he did. &uot;And their next question should be, ‘What shall I do?’&uot;

Davis said the monument was a foundation that would teach people the importance of ensuring voting and civil rights. &uot;We hold these positions today because of the sacrifices made on these streets,&uot; Davis said.

Lewis agreed. &uot;To the young people I say, ‘Get in the way, move your feet, keep on keeping on,’&uot; he said. &uot;We’ve got to mobilize and vote.&uot;