Civil rights leader to speak at Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission’s 50th anniversary

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., will visit Fresno on Aug. 19 to share his experiences during the Civil Rights Movement at the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission’s 50th anniversary.

Lewis helped to form and later led the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee from 1963 to 1966. He was one of 600 marchers beaten in 1965 while trying to cross from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama, and he spoke at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 march on Washington, D.C.

Lewis has served as a congressman since 1987.

He will serve as the guest speaker at an invitation-only FEOC luncheon and a dinner at the DoubleTree by Hilton Fresno Convention Center in downtown Fresno. The FEOC will also host a screening of the movie “Selma” at the Warnors Theater at 3 p.m.

Tickets and information on the dinner and movie screening can be found at www.fresnoeoc.org/lewis.

This story was originally published August 8, 2015 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Civil rights leader to speak at Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission’s 50th anniversary."