Tucson event honors John Lewis with food, housing drive
Dozens gathered at a Tucson church to honor civil rights leader John Lewis on the anniversary of his death, donating food and supplies to fight homelessness and food insecurity.
Beneath the stained glass windows of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, dozens of community members gathered earlier this month to sing, donate food and supplies, and honor the legacy of John Lewis on the anniversary of his death, channeling his call for "good trouble" into Tucson's fight against food and housing insecurity.
Lewis was a longtime fixture in American politics, known for his fight for social justice and against racial discrimination. He served as U.S. representative for Georgia's 5th Congressional District for three decades, championing civil and voting rights, health care, employment, and protections for women, children, families and veterans.
As a young man, Lewis joined the Nashville Student Movement, which led sit-ins against the city's segregated downtown stores in 1959. He went on to become a Freedom Rider protesting segregated bus terminals, helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and took part in the Selma March. President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
Planned on July 18, the anniversary of Lewis' death, the event was organized by MoveOn as part of its national "Good Trouble Lives On" series, a continuation of the fight for voting rights, housing security and food security. Organizers emphasized a commitment to nonviolent action throughout the event.
The event included speeches from local religious leaders, Tucson City Council Member Miranda Schubert and others, all embodying Lewis' iconic saying, "Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and redeem the soul of America."
Schubert has been in office less than a year representing Ward 6, which covers a large part of Tucson's Democratic-leaning midtown. She said the invitation to speak at an event honoring a widely known civil rights leader was intimidating as a newly elected official.
"Representative Lewis provides a blueprint for leaders like me who are in the work to build a better society and a more peaceful world," she said. "His legacy reminds us of the role we all must play to achieve a just and equitable society, and that starts with the dignity of a home."
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The event reframed Lewis' message and values around today's political and economic climate, with the drive and rally aimed at strengthening the community through donations to people experiencing homelessness. Following last year's cuts to SNAP benefits, Arizona's SNAP recipients have fallen by about half, making it one of the states hit hardest by the change.
The event included a food drive to benefit Casa Maria Soup Kitchen and Unhoused Neighbors, two charities working to address homelessness in Tucson. Community members were asked to donate items including low-sodium canned items and shelf-stable proteins like canned fish and peanut butter, and hygiene and baby items.
"Mutual aid, before all things, is human nature," said Unhoused Neighbors co-founder Amina Tollin. "It's an act that originates from love and care. It's about remembering that we are all community, regardless of housing status, or location, or anything else."
More than 457,000 Arizonans, including nearly 196,000 children, had lost SNAP benefits as of May 2026 following last year's cuts, according to the Arizona Department of Economic Security, making Arizona the hardest-hit state in the nation.
As community members arrived to drop off their donations, they were treated to the music of the Tucson Singing Resistance, an offshoot of a group originally formed in Minneapolis. The group gathers every Sunday at the church, singing for peaceful resistance.
"Today our call is to let us build a deeply supportive community that not only refuses to look away from suffering, but also refuses to let it continue," said Rev. Jamili Omar, director of religious education at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson. "With love as our guide, let us draw strength from each other as we shake the foundations of poverty to build a new city for justice and equity."
Allison Kuester is a student at Northwestern University and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at allisonkuester2029@u.northwestern.edu.
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