We are sad to report that cherished and long timed fighter for justice Lewis Turner has transitioned. Brother Lewis Turner, or Mr. Lewis as he was called respectfully and affectionately, was a life long activist dedicating his energy to fighting for rights of the oppressed and exploited.
We are reprinting a resolution passed by the Rocky Mount, N.C. City Council honoring his life and work. We also share a statement from Dr. Ben Chavis, civil rights leader, a defendant in the well known Wilmington Ten case, and current president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION FOR LEWIS TURNER
RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION (POSTHUMOUS)
WHEREAS, Lewis Turner was a long-time resident of the City of Rocky Mount, County of Edgecombe and State of North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, Lewis Turner throughout his life was a faithful and dedicated freedom fighter for many causes and an active participant for over 30 years in the public life of his community in an informed, committed, and constructive manner, with a focus on the common good; and
WHEREAS, Lewis Turner has been a strong advocate for various causes associated with social justice, social change or respecting the rights of others, and core principles related to the foundation of a democracy, including welfare rights and workers rights for the most economically vulnerable; increasing affordable and fair housing opportunities for residents of disinvested and racially segregated communities; voting rights protection especially for those denied the right to vote based on race; and death penalty matters because 141 death row prisoners in North Carolina in 2020 were Black; and he also expressed his solidarity with the human rights and liberation of oppressed people in other similar movements in other countries; and
WHEREAS, Lewis Turner was active with Black Workers for Justice, the NAACP, the Rocky Mount Racial Justice Group and Community Academy; and he was an ardent supporter of the freedom of the Wilmington 10 and Charlotte 3; and
WHEREAS, Lewis Turner imparted knowledge and wisdom to those he impacted, compassion and selflessness to those in need, and inspiration and encouragement to those he led; and
WHEREAS, Lewis Turner’s perseverance, compassion, energy and graciousness enriched those fortunate enough to know and work with him; and
WHEREAS, Lewis Turner’s unwavering commitment, courage, willingness and ability to understand and respond to the concerns of the most marginalized people based upon race and or economic circumstances, has made a substantial contribution to the betterment of the City of Rocky Mount, the United States and the world.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council, on behalf of the residents of Rocky Mount, extends appreciation, posthumously, to Lewis Turner for his dedicated years of community service he made to the City and to its residents; and
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, that the Rocky Mount City Council extends its sympathy to Lewis Turner’s family and decrees that they be furnished a copy of this Resolution, which is spread upon the minutes of the January 25, 2021, City Council meeting
Statement from Dr. Ben Chavis:
“I’m Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. I pause to salute with a deep sense of sorrow but also a moment of sincere recognition the tremendous contribution of Lewis Turner to our long struggle in America and throughout the world for freedom, justice and equality. For many decades Lewis Turner was on the frontline of the freedom movement in North Carolina and in many other places with a rare courage to stand up and to speak truth to power. Since the earliest days of the fight to free the Wilmington 10, the Charlotte 3, Joan Little and other political prisoners in our home state of North Carolina as well as across America, Lewis Turner was always there as a fierce defender of Black Workers’ rights and the human rights of all humanity. Thus on behalf of the Wilmington 10, the National Newspaper Publishers Association, and the Black Workers for Justice, we pledge to keep alive in our hearts the memory and legacy of our beloved brother Lewis Turner. May he rest in eternal peace. “(January 26, 2021)
