John Lewis was inspired to join the Civil Rights Movement by the lynching of 15-year-old Emmett Till, in 1955. Lewis and Till were roughly the same age. Lewis endured brutal beatings at the hands of police, all while participating in what were unequivocally nonviolent protests. He was arrested 40 times in the 1960s. (He would be arrested 5 more during his time as a congressman.) The actions of Lewis and his brothers and sisters in the movement, of all races (the 20th century’s ultimate patriots) forced the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 into being.

But in 2013 the Supreme Court dismantled the Voting Rights Act by freeing nine states, most of them in the South, to change their election laws without federal approval or oversight. The resulting changes turned the clock back on some of the gains the movement had fought so hard to achieve. Lewis felt the blow, but kept fighting for voters’ rights until the end of his life. And here, the work of Congressman Lewis and Justice Ginsburg converged, an affirmation of their entwined values: Ginsburg, opposed the dismantling of the act with her dissent.

Lewis was serving his 17th term in the House of Representatives when he died of pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg had suffered various health problems through the years, including several bouts with cancer, but she always came back and she seemed unstoppable, even if, in our hearts, we knew the reality. She was our "Notorious RBG". Both left us even as freedoms we thought we’d won for good—women’s reproductive rights and the right of every American to vote. Which now veer precariously close to dissolution.

Like many, I took a deep breath when I first heard about the passing of John Lewis and again with the death of RBG not long after which has added even more turmoil to a country already sick, beaten and battered. There’s the personal tragedy of a life that has passed, magnified by the impact she has had on countless people — as a role model, an inspiration and a sometimes lonely voice of dissent on matters of great importance. A corrupt president has corrupted the institutions, the norms and the checks and balances that have protected our country since its founding. And that corruption continues.

“The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it,” Lewis said. “Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.”

This song is dedicated to the memories of these two leaders who dedicated their lives to equality, justice and public service in the name of good trouble. Necessary trouble. ✊🏿 ⚖️ ✊🏻

Special thanks to DJ GrandMixer GMS who dropped the truth bomb into the mix with his killer old school scratching techniques! 💣