The Legacy of John Lewis
Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, the son of sharecroppers who survived a brutal beating by police during a landmark 1965 march in Selma, Alabama, to become a towering figure of the civil rights movement and a longtime US congressman, has died after a six-month battle with cancer. He was 80.
John Robert Lewis was an American politician and civil rights leader. He was the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 5th congressional district, and was serving in his 17th term in the House until his death, having served since 1987, and was the dean of the Georgia congressional delegation. The district he served includes the northern three-fourths of Atlanta. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
Lewis, who as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was one of the “Big Six” leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington, played many key roles in the Civil Rights Movement and its actions to end legalized racial segregation in the United States. He was a member of the Democratic Party leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives and had served from 1991 until death as a Chief Deputy Whip and Senior Chief Deputy Whip from 2003 to his death.
Lewis had been awarded many honorary degrees and was the recipient of numerous awards from eminent national and international institutions, including the highest civilian honor of the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On December 29, 2019, it was announced that Lewis was receiving treatment for stage IV pancreatic cancer. Lewis died on July 17, 2020.
We’re gonna ride for you John! Your contributions to the movement will not go in vain!
To learn more about the legendary John Lewis you can visit his website here.
