Civil Rights Icon John Lewis Dies at 80
By: The Executive Tea Staff
John Lewis, the son of 2 Alabama sharecroppers who went on to be a titan in the Civil Rights Movement and a U.S. congressman has sadly died at the age of 80. Over the weekend, folks remembered the Civil Rights icon and pledged to keep getting into “good trouble” in his legendary name.
Lewis was the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists who organized the 1963 March on Washington. John Lewis also led hundreds of activists “Bloody Sunday” on the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965. Lewis was only 25 at the time of the march, but had grown his profile as an activist after his noticeable commitment to leading voting rights demonstrations. Lewis was just a few feet away from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the front of more than 3,000 marchers when they left Selma on March 21, 1965, for the epic 52-mile walk to Montgomery.
Lewis, known for his “good trouble” mantra, led and inspired countless activists to fight for voting rights, equality, and to speak up when “you see something that isn’t right.”
Lewis fought to modernize the Voting Rights Act, which was gutted in 2013. Despite the legislation being passed in 2019, McConnell hasn’t brought it to vote in the Senate. That responsibility falls to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who also paid tribute to Lewis on Saturday. Despite the legislation being passed in 2019, McConnell hasn’t brought it to vote in the Senate. Rep. Karen Bass and many others have stated that the best way to honor Lewis would be giving the Voting Rights Act passage in the Senate.
Many people on social media posted heartwarming tributes to the legendary icon, and vowed to keep fighting in his name.
John Lewis’ final public appearance was spent visiting D.C.’s new Black Lives Matter plaza.
