In an essay he wrote just before his death but published Friday, the day of his funeral, the late civil rights icon and Democratic Georgia Congressman John Lewis urged people to get into “good trouble” to change what is wrong in the world.

Published in The New York Times,  “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation” reflects on how his life was changed by the death of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was lynched in 1955.

“He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. He was 14 when he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time. I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me,” Lewis wrote.

Lewis also urged people to get involved in government, particularly by exercising their right to vote, an act that is precarious and can be taken away, an apparent allusion to the current efforts of republicans to make voting harder and more cumbersome.

“Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key,” Lewis wrote.  “The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.”

Lewis passed the torch to the current generations to keep up his efforts to ensure the future of the nation.

“Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.”

Lewis died July 17th after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.  His funeral is scheduled to take place Friday.