Emory University School of Law will establish an endowed chair in civil rights and social justice with a $1.5 million gift from an anonymous donor.

The school will name the professorship for U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia), who has represented much of Atlanta in Congress since 1987. He was a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which organized sit-ins and freedom rides across the South and played a pivotal role in the 1963 March on Washington, where Lewis delivered a speech.

“Honoring John Lewis—someone who is so important to the conversation on civil rights—is a wonderful way to inspire the Emory community with our ongoing commitment to social justice and academic excellence,” dean Robert Schapiro said. “The gift builds on Emory's history as a leader in civil rights and social justice, dating as far back as the 1962 lawsuit that helped integrate private colleges and universities in Georgia.”