US Representative and civil rights legend John Lewis has died at the age of 80. Lewis had been battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer the past few months. He passed late Friday night.
A Living Legend
John Lewis rose to prominence at an early age. He was already a national figure by his early 20s. He became a member of the Big Six group of civil rights leaders during this time. At age 23, he helped organize the March on Washington and gave the keynote speech.
Lewis later helped organize the voting rights march in Alabama that would become known as Bloody Sunday. Police beat protesters and Lewis himself suffered a fractured skull.
John Lewis was one of the original Freedom Riders. His actions and leadership helped get the Civil Rights act pass.
Changing The System From The Inside
The fight for equality did not end with the civil rights movement. Lewis continued the struggle from the inside. He first served on the Atlanta city council before being elected to Congress in 1986, a seat he would hold until his death.
In Congress Lewis was a champion of voting rights. He was a staunch ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and served in leadership positions throughout his career.
Due to his heroic history, both Democrats and Republicans held Lewis in high regard. New members of Congress often sought him out. Unfortunately, this did not apply to current President Donald Trump. Lewis has an adversarial relationship with the president, even boycotting his inauguration.
Later Accomplishments
John Lewis lived to see the nation’s first black president when Barack Obama was elected in 2008. In a post on Medium, Obama said he told Lewis at his inauguration that he was only there because of the sacrifices Lewis had made. The two remained close, recently sharing a virtual town hall in support of the George Floyd protests.
Lewis became a best selling author through a series of books retelling his experiences in the civil rights movement. In 2011, President Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is the highest civilian honor one can achieve in the US.
The news that John Lewis has died may not come as a shock due to his deteriorating health, but it is a huge blow nonetheless. The world has lost a champion of freedom and equality the likes of which we are not likely to see again. His leadership and voice will be missed as the nation continues to struggle with these issues.
Lewis was proceeded in death by his wife of 44 years, Lillian Lewis, who passed in 2012 at the age of 73. He is survived by his son, John-Miles Lewis.