Published:
DC Public Library is collaborating with the Mosaic Theater Company to bring the legacy of civil rights leader John Lewis to the community through “The Young John Lewis Reflection Series.” This initiative explores the formative years of Lewis and is designed to accompany the theater company's new production Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest. The Library programs use panels, performances, and workshops to connect Lewis’s story with contemporary identity, activism, and art in the District.
The series begins on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 19, 2026, with A Celebration of DC Home Rule at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. This event honors 52 years of Home Rule in the District. It directly connects to the themes of activism central to Lewis’s life by featuring a panel of Home Rule champions and includes a performance of songs from the upcoming musical.
Next, on January 26, the DC: A Home for New Musicals event at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library highlights the local theater scene that produces works like the Lewis musical. Led by Washington Post theater critic Naveen Kumar, the conversation will feature partner theaters like Olney Theatre Company and Signature Theatre Company, with performances from Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest and other new works. This anchors the inspirational story of Lewis in the context of DC's vibrant artistic community.
The series also reaches into neighborhoods with the hands-on workshop, The Power of Knowing: John Lewis, Poetry & Hip-HopEd. Facilitated by Tony Keith Jr. and the Ed Emcee Academy team, these workshops run on the following dates:
- Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 3:30PM at Capitol View Neighborhood Library
- Thursday, February 19, 2026, 6:30pm at Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library
- Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 3:30pm at Woodridge Neighborhood Library
These 60-minute interactive sessions honor Lewis’s legacy using the expressive, justice-centered traditions of Hip-Hop and spoken word poetry as tools for youth leadership and civic engagement.
These community events are designed to reflect the themes found in Mosaic Theater's new production, Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest. The musical, which runs from March 26 to April 26, 2026, focuses on Lewis's life between the ages of 18 and 28, covering his efforts with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and his work alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Reflection Series, supported by the DC Public Library Foundation, uses the inspiration of the play to engage the public with Lewis's lifelong call to "make some Good Trouble."