YOUNGSTOWN –About three years ago, Jackie Mercer and a friend were in Washington, D.C., when she received a prized email from one of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ staffers stating he would soon be ready to meet them.

Once the allure of seeing the longtime Georgia congressman and iconic civil rights leader wore off, Mercer was perhaps more struck by the direction he took their conversation.

“He stood in his doorway to welcome us, and I burst into tears,” remembered Mercer, a Youngstown State University professor of English and English education. “He asked all about us. John Lewis told me he was proud of me and of all teachers.”

Lewis, who died Friday in Atlanta at age 80 after battling advanced pancreatic cancer, was honored and remembered during a one-hour candlelight vigil Tuesday evening outside the Nathaniel R. Jones Federal Building and Courthouse in downtown Youngstown for his civil rights and humanitarian work. The Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past organization hosted and organized the gathering, at which about 200 elected officials, students and others attended.

Also remembered was the Rev. C.T. Vivian, another civil rights icon, who died Friday in Atlanta of natural causes. He was 95.

Lewis was as humble as he was legendary, and one of his many endearing qualities was his desire to make time for anyone who sought him out, Mercer said.

“Our 20-minute meeting had a profound impact on my life,” Mercer added. “He accepted me for who I was.”

Lewis also left an indelible imprint on Kira Walker, Brittany Bailey and Lekeila Houser, all members of Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past, who went on the annual Sojourn to the Past

journey through the Deep South.

“He taught me that nonviolence is not passive; it is active, and you’re not a coward for believing in nonviolence,” Walker said.

In addition, Lewis joined, then became chairman of, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the early 1960s, and he recognized that the philosophy of nonviolence entailed forgiveness as well as love and compassion toward others, Bailey and Houser said.

Bonnie Burdman, the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation’s director of community relations and government affairs, noted that Lewis maintained close relations with the Jewish community since the 1960s and understood the value of coalition building. He also was keenly astute about the common links between Jews and blacks, especially when it came to fighting for justice, she explained.

“He was a giant presence and shining example of what is and must be great about America,” Burdman said, adding her organization endorses Youngstown City Council’s declaration of racism as a public health crisis.

Jaladah Aslam, the Youngstown/Warren Black Caucus president, recalled that when Lewis attended an event her organization hosted, he always made time for everyone. Unlike many celebrities, he neither had an entourage nor was demanding and filled with requests to others, she recalled.

“It’s important to remember what a powerful man he was and how he impacted this country in ways most Americans don’t know,” said Penny Wells, Mahoning Valley STTP’s executive director. “He certainly was the poster person for nonviolence.”

The primary takeaway from Tuesaday’s vigil should be people’s desire to continue Lewis’ legacy by standing up to injustices and doing their part to stop racism that is embedded in society, she continued.

The Rev. Lewis W. Macklin II, pastor of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, said he wanted to honor Rev. C.T. Vivian, who participated in the 1961 Freedom Rides through the South, worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was beaten by Sheriff Jim Clark when he led a group of black people to vote at the Dallas County Courthouse in Selma, Ala.

Education also was one of Vivian’s mantras, Macklin noted.

The gathering ended with attendees singing “We Shall Overcome,” the anthem of the civil rights movement.