who said good trouble

The phrase “good trouble” is most closely associated with U.S. civil rights leader and longtime Congressman John Lewis. He often urged people to “get in good trouble, necessary trouble” as a call to nonviolent activism and moral courage.

Who Said “Good Trouble”?

• The phrase was popularized by John Lewis, a key figure in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and later a U.S. Representative from Georgia.

• Lewis used it in speeches and interviews to describe principled disruption against injustice, especially in the context of voting rights and racial equality.

What “Good Trouble” Means

• “Good trouble” refers to deliberately challenging unjust laws, norms, or systems through nonviolent protest and civil disobedience, even if it causes friction with authorities.

• Lewis framed it as “good” because it aims to redeem and improve society, not to cause harm or chaos.

Historical Context

• Lewis connected the idea of good trouble to events like the Freedom Rides, sit‑ins, and the Selma marches, including “Bloody Sunday” in 1965, where he was brutally beaten while peacefully protesting for voting rights.

• In later years he repeated the phrase at commemorations, such as on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, reminding newer generations to continue the struggle for justice.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.