By Zablon Taffere, Tarek Ressas, Nabay Asefa, Jerry Pacheco, Alex Barrios, Sam Taylor, DeJuan Robinson, Seniors, T.C. Williams High School (File photo)

To the editor:
On behalf of the students of T.C. Williams High School, we thank U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) for sharing his story with us (“Standing up by sitting down,” November 19).

He gave insights about his life from as early as when he was 4 years old. He talked about how he preached to chickens, how he met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and how he joined the Civil Rights Movement. He spoke about the march from Selma, Ala. and the events that transpired there. This speech inspired us for now and for the future.

Since his time as one of the “Big Six” leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, he has continued to fight for peoples’ rights in Congress. He has reached out to younger generations by visiting schools like ours and publishing graphic novels about his experiences with the movement. We were honored to hear his story, and as a token of our appreciation, we presented him with T.C. memorabilia.

Congressman Lewis gave us a positive way of thinking about the world and how to improve it. He gave us a positive way of thinking of the world by expressing his belief in nonviolence. He talked about his life experiences and how the world was against him, but he still thought about peace. We are inspired to continue his work in our Alexandria community.