Congressman John Lewis…The Passing Of A Civil Rights Hero

Born in Troy Alabama, cotton segregated America, civil rights hero, black lives matter icon and congressman, John Lewis, died at 80 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Loved amongst the community, John Lewis was a political figure born in the age of racial segregation and inspired by Martin Luther King, he decided to defend civil rights for the Afro American community. Angered by the unfairness of the South, he launched what he called “good trouble” with organized protest.  In the early 1960’s he joined the Freedom Riders, challenging segregation at bus stations and terminals across the South and in the nation’s capital.  Since age 15 he became involved in the civil right movement and at the age of 25, he helped lead the 1963 Washington March on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, protesting in favor of the legalization of undocumented citizens, the right to vote and run as political candidates for minorities. He and other marchers were met by heavily armed state and local police who attacked and abused them; this day went down to history known as “The Bloody Sunday”. Thanks to his dedication, perseverance and endurance, the government approved the Civil Rights Law in 1964 and the Right to Vote Law in 1965.  After many beatings and arrests Lewis’s spirit never broke, he went from protest to politics, where he was elected to the Atlanta city council in 1981 and then became congressman in 1986. Citizens appreciated him so much that he got elected 14 more times, serving a total of 17 years for the congress of Georgia. Once in congress he focused on fighting against poverty and helping younger generations by improving education and health care. Rep. John Lewis was honored and respected as “the conscience of the US Congress and an icon of American history”. He dedicated his entire life to non-violent activism and was an advocate in the struggle for justice and equality in America. His deeds and achievements will forever be part of our nation’s history. In his honor many countries have raised the flags half-staff, and many politicians are petitioning to change the name of the Edmund Bridge, to “John Lewis Bridge”.  Loved not only by his community, but by many citizens around the nation, his legacy will be our legacy and his story is part of the American story.