REP. JOHN LEWIS, REST IN PEACE WITH THE ANCESTORS

20200718_015312

REP. JOHN LEWIS. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Civil Rights icon and trailblazing pioneer Rep. John Lewis who’d been battling cancer and announced his diagnosis seven months ago has died at the age of 80.

Lewis was a bold and determined young man in the 1960s when he plunged fearlessly into the battles for human rights and civil rights for descendants of Africa in the United States, marching alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others.

One of his fellow fighters for justice, Rev. C. T. Vivian has also died on the same day at the age of 95.

Lewis spoke at the historic march on Washington in 1963. He was also one of the founders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Former president Barack Obama posted a long statement on Medium, which in part reads, “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.”

Tributes to trailblazer Rep. John Lewis to follow.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *