In a year of heartbreaking losses, civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis has passed away at 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Lewis passed on the same day as fellow civil rights leader the Rev. Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian, who was 95. Both men worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in the historic Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Born to sharecroppers in rural Alabama, Lewis grew up to be an integral member of the fight against racial segregation and discrimination in America. He was one of the 13 original Freedom Riders, who rode interstate buses into the segregated South. Lewis was attacked several times, arrested over 40 times, and survived a brutal beating at the hands of the police during the Selma to Montgomery protest marches in 1965. He was also a pivotal organizer of the March on Washington, where King delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
Lewis, a Democrat who served as the US representative for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District for more than three decades, was widely seen as a moral conscience of Congress because of his decades-long embodiment of nonviolent fight for civil rights. His passionate oratory was backed by a long record of action that included, by his count, more than 40 arrests while demonstrating against racial and social injustice.
He served as the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death, and was known as “the conscience of congress.” In all his years of service, he never wavered from his commitment to nonviolence and his endless fight for justice and equality.
His family released a statement which reads, “It is with inconsolable grief and enduring sadness that we announce the passing of U.S. Rep. John Lewis, … He was honored and respected as the conscience of the US Congress and an icon of American history, but we knew him as a loving father and brother. He was a stalwart champion in the on-going struggle to demand respect for the dignity and worth of every human being. He dedicated his entire life to non-violent activism and was an outspoken advocate in the struggle for equal justice in America. He will be deeply missed.”
President Barack Obama, who awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, wrote “He loved this country so much that he risked his life and his blood so that it might live up to its promise. And through the decades, he not only gave all of himself to the cause of freedom and justice, but inspired generations that followed to try to live up to his example.”
Many shared their condolences and memories of Lewis on social media in tribute to the remarkable man:
Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did:https://t.co/KbVfYt5CeQ
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 18, 2020
John Lewis was an American treasure.
He gave a voice to the voiceless, and he reminded each of us that the most powerful nonviolent tool is the vote.
Our hearts feel empty without our friend, but we find comfort knowing that he is free at last.
— Martin Luther King III (@OfficialMLK3) July 18, 2020
John Lewis’s memory moves us all to, in the face of injustice, make “good trouble, necessary trouble.” May it be a comfort to his son John-Miles & his entire family that so many mourn their loss at this sad time. https://t.co/cPEn54Tpi6
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 18, 2020
1/ In this moment, it is difficult and heartbreaking to comprehend a world without John Lewis. pic.twitter.com/ra3RJhMU4a
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) July 18, 2020
John Lewis was the truest kind of patriot. He believed America could be better, even live up to its highest founding ideals of equality & liberty for all. He made good trouble to help us get there. Now it’s up to the rest of us to carry on his work. Rest in power, my friend. pic.twitter.com/a3gEAiMzp3
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 18, 2020
The most humble of heroes, the most brave of giants. @repjohnlewis loved unconditionally and called upon us all to be a better version of ourselves. He was my Congressman and my best example of true servant leadership. I am grateful for his life and the joy of having known him. pic.twitter.com/HC23WElOtV
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) July 18, 2020
He knew the importance of being in for the long haul. And he was. We’ve lost a hero. pic.twitter.com/rIFFJYgW2M
— Daniel Roth (@drothjr) July 18, 2020
John Lewis gave all he had to redeem America’s unmet promise of equality and justice for all, and to create a place for us to build a more perfect union together. In so doing he became the conscience of the nation.
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) July 18, 2020
Thank you for your care and kindness, your advice and understanding. Will never forget what you taught me and what you challenged me to be. Better. Stronger. Bolder. Braver. God bless you, Ancestor John Robert Lewis of Troy, Alabama. Run into His arms. https://t.co/DTUEw7cJzX
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) July 18, 2020
I had a final chance to tell him what I’ve said every time I’ve been in his presence: “Thank you for your courage leading the fight for Freedom. My life as it is would not have been possible without you.”
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) July 18, 2020
John Lewis was an icon who fought with every ounce of his being to advance the cause of civil rights for all Americans. I'm devastated for his family, friends, staff—and all those whose lives he touched.
My friend, thank you for showing the world what #GoodTrouble looks like. pic.twitter.com/cvG8nSJCW5
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 18, 2020
My favorite thing about John Lewis is that at ComicCon, he cosplayed as his younger self, wearing the same coat and backpack he wore at the March on Selma and led kids in a little march around the convention. 🖤 pic.twitter.com/6T2sgRZehz
— Bridget Todd 💁🏿 (@BridgetMarie) July 18, 2020
(via CNN, image: Pablo Martinez Monsivais-Pool/Getty Images)
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