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'I'm prepared to go to jail': John Lewis slams Trump's border policies.

'I'm prepared to go to jail': John Lewis slams Trump's border policies.

Long before he was a congressman representing Georgia, John Lewis was arrested ... for going to the bathroom.

Well, the wrong bathroom.

In 2016, Lewis tweeted his vintage mug shot with the caption, "I was arrested in the Jackson, MS bus station for using a 'whites-only' restroom," and the hashtag #GoodTrouble.

Nearly six decades later, Lewis is still getting into "good trouble." And he wants the rest of us to do the same.

In a fiery speech on June 20, the congressman blasted President Donald Trump's extreme and unpopular family separation policy.

"I saw those signs that said, 'white men,' 'colored men,'" Lewis recalled of his childhood growing up in the rural south. "But I was inspired by Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., and I got in the way. I got in trouble. Good trouble, necessary trouble."

Just because it was the law didn't make it right.

"This has gone on too long, and it must stop, and it must stop now — not tomorrow, but now!" Lewis said, segueing from the civil rights era of the 1960s to our current humanitarian crisis.

"Just tell me whatever you want me to do," Lewis continued, with a nod to Rep. Luis Gutiérrez of Illinois standing nearby. "I will go to the borders. I'd get arrested again."

"You know, if necessary, I'm prepared to go to jail," Lewis said, embracing a child with his right arm. "Thank you, brother."

A march protests family separations on June 13. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.

What's right is not always lawful, and the law is not always right. Many of humanity's darkest moments — slavery, the Holocaust, Japanese-American interment camps, and more — were protected by the rule of law.  

It's up to us to change what's acceptable.

Shortly after the Democrats' press conference, Trump signed an executive order reversing the family separation policy his administration first enforced.

But the story is far from over.

Trump's order did nothing to clarify how the thousands of separated migrant children will be reunited with their parents, and many advocates argue the reversal still leaves families in the deplorable conditions we decided were too harsh for children.

The good news is that there are many ways to keep fighting for these children and their families — and maybe even get into some good trouble along the way.

You can support legal aid groups specialized in immigration law doing on-the-ground work protecting migrants this very moment. Buy apparel that benefits youth-led immigrant advocacy work. Keep sharing stories with loved ones as this story develops in the weeks and months ahead. Volunteer and get involved however you can.  

As Lewis concluded his speech outside the Capitol: "Now is the time to do what is right, what is fair, and what is just."

Let's get into good trouble together.

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Meet the people infusing their communities with love and support when it’s needed most

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If the past year has taught us nothing else, it's that sending love out into the world through selfless acts of kindness can have a positive ripple effect on people and communities. People all over the United States seemed to have gotten the message — 71% of those surveyed by the World Giving Index helped a stranger in need in 2020. A nonprofit survey found 90% helped others by running errands, calling, texting and sending care packages. Many people needed a boost last year in one way or another and obliging good neighbors heeded the call over and over again — and continue to make a positive impact through their actions in this new year.

Upworthy and P&G Good Everyday wanted to help keep kindness going strong, so they partnered up to create the Lead with Love Fund. The fund awards do-gooders in communities around the country with grants to help them continue on with their unique missions. Hundreds of nominations came pouring in and five winners were selected based on three criteria: the impact of action, uniqueness, and "Upworthy-ness" of their story.

Here's a look at the five winners:

Edith Ornelas, co-creator of Mariposas Collective in Memphis, Tenn.

Edith Ornelas has a deep-rooted connection to the asylum-seeking immigrant families she brings food and supplies to families in Memphis, Tenn. She was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old with her parents and sister. Edith grew up in Chicago, then moved to Memphis in 2016, where she quickly realized how few community programs existed for immigrants. Two years later, she helped create Mariposas Collective, which initially aimed to help families who had just been released from detention centers and were seeking asylum. The collective started out small but has since grown to approximately 400 volunteers.