John Lewis, who recently had a statue of himself unveiled in Decatur, in part because of his work and courage as one of the original Freedom Riders, is getting another honor this week: a MARTA bus.
On Thursday, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will unveil a wrapped MARTA bus in honor of the late congressman and his wife, Lillian Miles Lewis.
The bus is the third in a series of wrapped buses celebrating Atlanta Civil Rights leaders. In January, a bus dedicated to Coretta and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began service along the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/ Auburn Avenue corridor. Juanita Abernathy, the wife of Ralph David Abernathy and a longtime member of the MARTA board, was honored in April with a bus.
“We want to recognize the profound contributions of Congressman Lewis, who championed public transit and MARTA, and fought for voters’ rights his entire life,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood. “MARTA history is Black history.”
Along with the bus unveiling, MARTA, along with the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, are also hosting a voter-registration drive.