Civil rights icon and Congressman, John Lewis has died after a six month battle with cancer, his family confirmed in a statement.
“It is with inconsolable grief and enduring sadness that we announce the passing of U.S. Rep. John Lewis,” his family said in a statement. “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.”
Civil Rights Record
John Lewis was a friend and colleague of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, whom he credits for inspiring his activism. At age 21 he joined the Freedom Riders and rode public transportation through the South in the early 1960s in an effort to integrate bus travel. Freedom Riders tried to use ‘Whites Only’ restrooms and lunch counters at bus stations in Southern states. While in Rock Hill, South Carolina, John Lewis was attacked by two white men because he tried to enter a whites-only waiting room. He was kicked in the ribs and suffered injuries to his face.
Two years later, 23-year-old Lewis would become the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington.
At age 25, Lewis led the march in Selma, Alabama across Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965, demanding the right to vote for black people. The marchers were attacked by police officers who beat them with clubs. John Lewis’ skull was fractured. The attack was so brutal that it left an indelible mark on the nation’s history. That day has come to be known as ‘Bloody Sunday’. The images from ‘Bloody Sunday’ shocked the nation and galvanized the fight against racial injustice and mobilized Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act which President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law on August 6, 1965.
50 years later, Congressman Lewis said, he thought he was “going to die” that day. “I thought I saw death,” he said. While undergoing treatment for stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Congressman Lewis made a surprise visit to 55th-anniversary commemorative march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge where he urged voters to use the ballot box as “a nonviolent instrument or tool to redeem the soul of America.”
John Lewis entered elected politics in 1981 where he served on the Atlanta City Council. He was elected to the United States Congress six years later to represent Georgia’s 5th district.
In 2011, he was presented with the nation’s highest civilian honor, the presidential medal of freedom by the country’s first black president.
Reactions
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Lewis “one of the greatest heroes of American history.”
“John Lewis was a titan of the civil rights movement whose goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation – from the determination with which he met discrimination at lunch counters and on Freedom Rides, to the courage he showed as a young man facing down violence and death on Edmund Pettus Bridge, to the moral leadership he brought to the Congress for more than 30 years,” Pelosi said in a statement Friday.
Former President Barack Obama called John Lewis one of his heroes, adding:
“Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did. And thanks to him, we now all have our marching orders — to keep believing in the possibility of remaking this country we love until it lives up to its full promise.”
Former Vice- President, and presumptive democratic party nominee, Joe Biden said Lewis was “truly a one-of-a-kind, a moral compass who always knew where to point us and which direction to march.”
“We are made in the image of God, and then there is John Lewis. How could someone in flesh and blood be so courageous, so full of hope and love in the face of so much hate, violence, and vengeance?” Biden said in a statement.
“We have lost a giant. 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,”Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of state Hillary Clinton said in a joined statement.
“Throughout his career as a civil rights leader and public servant, he worked to make our country a more perfect union. America can best honor John’s memory by continuing his journey toward liberty and justice for all,” Former President George W. Bush said in a statement.
“John never shied away from what he called “good trouble” to lead our nation on the path toward human and civil rights. Everything he did, he did in a spirit of love. All Americans, regardless of race or religion, owe John Lewis a debt of gratitude. We send our condolences and prayers to his family and friends,” Former president Jimmy Carter said via a statement issued from the Carter Center.
“The world has lost a legend; the civil rights movement has lost an icon, the City of Atlanta has lost one of its most fearless leaders, and the Congressional Black Caucus has lost our longest serving member,” the Congressional Black Caucus said in a statement.
“From marching in Selma to serving in the House, Representative John Lewis spent his life fighting for civil rights for every single American,” Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer tweeted. “He is an American hero and a giant. And we are all better for the “good trouble” he made. Rest in peace, John.”
“John Lewis was a true American hero and the moral compass of our nation. May his courage and conviction live on in all of us as we continue to make good trouble for justice and opportunity,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a tweet on Saturday.
“Congressman John Lewis was an American hero — a giant, whose shoulders upon many of us stand. Throughout his life, he showed unending courage, generosity, and love for our country,” Sen. Kamala Harris said in a statement. “He carried the baton of progress and justice to the very end. It now falls on us to pick it up and march on.”
“His life-long mission for justice, equality, and freedom left a permanent impression on our nation and world,” The NAACP said.
“With the passing of John Lewis, America has lost not only a man of history, but a man for our season; O how we need such men of unwavering principle, unassailable character, penetrating purpose, and heartfelt compassion,” Sen. Mitt Romney tweeted.
In December 2019, Lewis announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
He remained as an advocate for civil rights through the end of his life. In June he told CBS that the death of George Floyd and subsequent protests were a tipping point. “This feels and looks so different. It is so much more massive and all-inclusive. To see people from all over the world taking to the streets, to the roadways, to stand up, to speak up, to speak out, to do what I call ‘getting in trouble. And with a sense of determination and commitment and dedication, there will be no turning back. People now understand what the struggle was all about. It’s another step down the very, very long road toward freedom, justice for all humankind.”
The civil rights icon and Congressman was 80 years old.
